#EndSARS: Lagos revives 10,000 businesses with N939m

….As Sanwo-Olu inaugurates panel on entertainment

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State government, yesterday, said that 10,000 business owners affected by the wanton destruction of properties during the #EndSARS protest were given N939.98 million support fund to recover their losses.

This came on a day Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu inaugurated a 9-member committee on film production empowerment, an intervention project to revitalise the entertainment and tourism sectors in the state.

Speaking during the ministerial press briefing to commemorate the second anniversary of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in office, the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke, said: “The MSME Recovery Fund was set up to support businesses in Lagos State whose properties and assets were vandalized post #EndSARS protests that rocked the nation in October 2020. With funding from the Lagos State Government, corporate organizations and private individuals, businesses were supported with grant sums ranging from N50,000 to N5,000,000, to beneficiaries to rebuild their businesses.

“About N939.98 million (approximately. US$2.47million) were disbursed to 1835 beneficiaries, and 10,005 direct jobs and 40,020 indirect jobs saved.”

Sanwo-Olu inaugurates panel on entertainment sector

Meanwhile, speaking at the inauguration held at the State House, Governor Sanwo-Olu described entertainment and tourism as enablers of growth with huge potential for employment opportunities.

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He said: “This is a signpost of all pockets of intervention we have we have created for the development of creativity and tourism sector. Aside from the N1 billion set aside for the hospitality industry, this scheme is specifically targeted at our movie industry which is known all over the world. This is with the belief that we can further raise the status of our creative output and commercialise the returns to a level it can compete with Hollywood and Bollywood.

“We realised most of our film production experts and directors face a lot of funding impediments. We are intervening to close this gap and bring credible veterans who have the knowledge and have demonstrated capacity in the industry to drive this project. That is why we carefully selected five key practitioners in the industry to lead. The Committee will be supported by four Government officials to limit bureaucracy for the Committee to achieve its objectives.”

Responding, Mofe-Damijo described the committee’s appointment as a big honour, describing members as passionate practitioners in the entertainment industry.

“We don’t have any excuse not to perform in this assignment. We will do everything in our capacity to ensure that result which the Governor has envisioned comes to reality,” he said.

Veteran filmmaker and Nollywood actor, Richard Mofe-Damijo, is the chairman of the nine-member committee, comprising five industry practitioners and four government officials.

Other industry veterans in the committee include ace cinematographer, Tunde Kelani; a film and television producer, Ms. Mo Abudu; movie director, Mr. Kunle Afolayan, and Mrs. Peace Anyim-Osigwe.

Vanguard News Nigeria

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