Merit Ibe
The Lagos State government hosted its premier innovative drive-in concert recently. Organised by Lapazio Lifestyles and Entertainment Group, the event was supervised by the Lekki Zonal office of Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), led by Yetunde Atoyebi in fulfillment of the monitoring guidelines for total compliance of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
According to the General Manager of LASEPA, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe, the initiative was to safely reinvigorate Lagos’ entertainment landscape after a long break, as the government begins to gradually ease the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
“Society benefits from entertainment; it adds structure to our social lives. Our goal is to ensure that the entertainment world can operate in a safe and healthy environment, to create lasting positive memories, as we adjust to the post COVID-19 lifestyle.
“The drive-in concert is globally acceptable as a new model for hosting safe entertainment events. Lagos, being a prime destination of entertainment and leisure events in Africa, should not be left behind in this new trend that ensures that fans connect with their favourite musicians or idols without breaking COVID-19 safety and environmental regulations,” Fasawe explained.
She noted that though the event was successful, there was room for improvement, as the agency would appraise the event to come up with a more robust plan to further extend the scheme to other relevant sectors.
The event had about 50 vehicles in attendance, parked in line with physical distancing guidelines recommended by LASEPA. Attendees were safely seated in their vehicles while some danced to the tunes of popular musician, Mayokun, through their car radio, all within the marked spaces.