Executive secretary of Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board (LSFVCB) Bamidele Balogun has been suspended for announcing a 5% levy on audio and visual contents in the state.
The suspension was announced in a statement by commissioner for information and strategy Gbenga Omotoso on Friday.
Mr Balogun caused public outcry in August when he announced a 30-day notice for all content producers to register and pay 5% levy on contents distributed on physical and digital platforms.
“The government hereby dissociates itself from the said announcement in the media,” Mr Omotoso said in the statement, adding that Balogun “has been suspended, pending an administrative enquiry.”
Entertainment and tourism practitioners, the statement continued, “are partners in our effort to ensure that Lagos State remains Africa’s leader in entertainment.
“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.
“All stakeholders in the entertainment industry are advised to disregard the said publication.”
Lagos State commissioner for tourism, arts and culture Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf, whose ministry supervises the LSFVCB, had earlier claimed she was not briefed before Balogun the levy on producers.
