Yemisi Izuora
The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, disclosed on Monday announced the extension of closure of airports in the country by two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Oriental News Nigeria reports that the federal government had on Monday, March 23 shut all international airports in the country for one month.
Subsequently, President, Muhammadu Buhari, extended the closure to all local airports in the country while announcing 14-day lockdown in Abuja; Lagos and Ogun States on March 29.
Buhari, on April 13, also announced extension of the lockdown in the three cities by two weeks.
The Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos and the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja are two major entry points into Nigeria.
Despite the closure of these airports and all others in the country to commercial flight operations, the government had said emergency and essential flights could be operated from any of the airports within the period.
But announcing on Monday via Twitter, the aviation minister said the airports would no longer open for commercial operations on April 23 due to the extended lockdown in the three cities.