“FG Must Accommodate TAMPAN In To Creative Industry Stakeholders’ Committee On Covid-19” – Bolaji Amusan

In a press statement signed by the National President of Theater Arts and Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), Otunba Bolaji Amusan, and made available to OSUN REPORTERS NEWS by Adekunle Abolade Dodoede in Osogbo on Thursday, TAMPAN calls on the Federal Government of Nigeria to review its action on the already constituted stakeholders’ committee on creative industry that will work on the best way to mitigate the effect of covid-19 pandemic on the very broad industry.

Read the full statement below:

Federal Govt Must Review Its Creative Industry Stakeholders’ Committee Membership To Accomondate TAMPAN

The National Executive Council of Theater Arts and Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) strongly salutes the laudable initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari for constituting a committee of the creative industry stakeholders to look into and advise the Federal Government on the best way to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the very broad industry.

While we are giving thumbs up to Mr President through the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed for thinking it right to champion this course, TAMPAN is seriously pained and very disturbed that government would come up with such an admirable, timely and veritable initiative and strategy but chose to neglect and cut-off a very critical stakeholder in the industry like the TAMPAN; an association with well over 50,000 membership across the country.

We are stritcly in agreement with our government that at a time like this there is need for a collective and government-supported approach of this nature in dealing with the immediate, short and long term palliatives and initiatives for the industry, in order to flatten the effect of the pandemic on this vast Industry, but this must be done through the involvement of all relevant stakeholders so that the outcome can be flawless and unblemished.

For clarity, TAMPAN is not in rivalry or opposed to the membership of the already set up committee which came to life on Wednesday May 6, 2020, but we are of the firm belief that with our long standing reputation, ingenuity, competence, capacity and intelligence, the committee can not be said to be properly constituted without our honest, robust, professional and useful contributions which will no doubt be guided in the spirit of patriotism and loyalty for the overall interest of the industry as well as the good people and government of Nigeria, devoid of pecuniary gains.

In addition, TAMPAN is not oblivious of the fact that a major plank of the economic diversification policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government was creating the highest number of jobs after agriculture and creative industry if given the required wherewithal and support has the magic wand to drive the vision of government in its inventiveness, particularly in diversification strategies.

For the records, TAMPAN has the expertise to assess the expected impact of the deadly Covid-19 on the industry in general and we can equally offer informed advise to the government on how to mitigate job and revenue losses in the sector, as well as to create succour for the industry small businesses among other issues.

Without sounding immodest, TAMPAN has the intellectual strength and technical know-how to suggest the type of taxation and financing that is best for the industry at this time to encourage growth and also advise the government on any other measure or measures that can be undertaken to support the industry in meeting government’s desirable goals for the citizenry.

In the light of the above we therefore urge our very reliable, reasonable and listening government to look inwards by co-opting TAMPAN to the existing committee of the creative industry stakeholders, it is not too late to activate this very necessary and important amends to achieve better results and we assure them our very disciplined and highly resourceful association will never disappoint them, rather we will add value and do the country proud as well as the industry which we so much cherish and passionate about.

May God bless and prosper Nigeria and may He also rid our country of this deadly pathogen, commonly known as Coronavirus.
Thank you.

Signed:
Otunba Bolaji Amusan (Mr Latin),
TAMPAN National President.