The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised to assist the tenants and shop owners at the Circle Mall in Lekki to bounce back to business following the recent looting and burning of several shops and stores at the mall by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protests.
Sanwo-Olu in a statement issued yesterday said the state government would give tax break and some financial assistance to all the business owners affected by the ugly incident.
“The Lagos State Government will not leave the people to bear the pains alone; the government will assist them to return to their respective businesses.
“The government will give all business owners in the burnt Circle Mall a tax break of PAYE; we will also appeal to the Federal Government to ensure that they get tax relief from the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
“We will give victims of the Circle Mall financial support, which will be in the form of grants or loans to cushion the effect of the looting and destruction of their shops and stores,” the statement partly read.
The governor noted that the grant support was a non-refundable financial support to the victims, adding that the affected businesses were not expected to pay back while the lending support would be in the form of a loan.
Sanwo-Olu also asked the shop owners to reach out to the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, urging them to make use of the opportunities being provided by the agency in assisting people who are in business, especially small scale businesses.
