The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has suspended the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) Executive secretary, Mr Bamidele Balogun for imposing 5% levy on all audio and visual contents produced and marketed within Lagos state.
This policy was to affect all digital platforms, including IrokoTV, Netflix, etc. However, the government has dissociated itself from the move.
In a statement published on twitter by the state’s commissioner for information and strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, he stated that there is no 5% levy on digital contents as the secretary was not authorized by the higher echelon to make such an announcement.
The statement reads,
“The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, Mr Bamidele Balogun, is said to have announced a 5% levy. The Government hereby dissociates itself from the said announcement in the media.
“The fifth pillar of the T.H.E.M.E.S 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.
“The Executive Secretary, who was not authorised to make such an announcement, has been suspended, pending an administrative enquiry.
“The Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration is not insensitive to the fact that the industry has been badly hit by the effects of the COVID -19 pandemic and empathises with this and other sectors of the economy.”