THE Lagos State Government has said it did not authorize any five per cent levy on audio and visual contents of all physical and Digital platforms in the state.
The state government also announced that it has suspended Bamidele Balogun, the Executive Secretary of Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB), over illegal levy.
Gawat Jubril, the Senior Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on New Media, disclosed these developments in a statement published on Twitter on Friday.
Balogun had earlier issued a 30-day notice to all content producers operating in the state to register their products through the board’s authorised agent within 30 days, adding that all audio and visual contents produced and sold within Lagos State would attract the payment of five per cent levy on each item.
But the state government dissociated itself from the said announcement, stating that the suspended LSFVCB boss was not authorised to make such an announcement.
The government said Balogun would remain suspended, pending an administrative enquiry.
The statement stated that, “The fifth pillar of the THEMES Agenda, the development policy of this administration, is entertainment and tourism. Practitioners are partners in our effort to ensure that Lagos State remains Africa’s leader in entertainment.”
It further stated that the governor Babajide Sanwo-olu’s administration was not insensitive to the fact that the entertainment industry has been badly hit by the effects of the COVID19 pandemic and empathizes with this and other sectors of the economy.
It, however, urged all stakeholders in the entertainment industry to disregard the said publication compelling them to pay.
'Niyi worked with The ICIR as an Investigative Reporter and Fact-checker from 2020 till September 2022. You can shoot him an email via [email protected]. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @niyi_oyedeji.