• Offenders now to pay N500, 000 fine
The Lagos State government on Monday firmed up the law regulating the operations of hotels, brothels and social event centres in the state with the signing of the Hotel Licencing Law 2003 by Governor Babatunde Fashola as amended by the state House of Assembly.
Part of the provisions of the law which aims to streamline and sanitise the operations of such places as mentioned above, imposed a fine of N500,000 on person(s) who operate a hotel, brothel or event centre without being duly licensed by the government.
Fashola, while signing the law, said it is now an offence for any operator to run hotels and brothels without obtaining licence from the state hotel licencing authorities, and failure to comply would attract a fine ranging from N100, 000 to N500, 000 or a two-year jail term.
The governor who noted that tourism has become a major contributor to strengthening economies around the world, added: “It is already clear that the future holds much more than oil for our country and tourism is becoming a choice for most oil industries. Lagos is one of those states that have the capacity to diversify its economy into the area of tourism”.
Explaining further, he said: “We have the same coast line of the Atlantic that goes all the way round the west coast and as far as Brazil. Brazil is making money from the Atlantic, why are we not doing the same thing and the reality is that laws like this exist in all these jurisdictions”, adding that the amendment would help the state measure the growth of tourism and realistic projections of tourists over a period of time.
Abdulateef Abdulhakeem, special adviser to the governor on political and legislative powers bureau, also explaining the provisions of the law, said the amendment became imperative as several sections of the law were outdated.
“The penalties that were imposed before now are outdated and that is why we see a very high level of disobedience to the rules. This would enable us recognise and grade persons in the industry who have invested a lot of money to ensure they partner with the government in this sector”, he said.
It was gathered that with the amendment, the state ministry of tourism and intergovernmental relations will now be responsible for the regulation of the operations of hotels in the state as against the ministry of commerce and industry which played this role before this time.
BY JOSHUA BASSEY
The Lagos State government on Monday firmed up the law regulating the operations of hotels, brothels and social event centres in the state with the signing of the Hotel Licencing Law 2003 by Governor Babatunde Fashola as amended by the state House of Assembly.
Part of the provisions of the law which aims to streamline and sanitise the operations of such places as mentioned above, imposed a fine of N500,000 on person(s) who operate a hotel, brothel or event centre without being duly licensed by the government.
Fashola, while signing the law, said it is now an offence for any operator to run hotels and brothels without obtaining licence from the state hotel licencing authorities, and failure to comply would attract a fine ranging from N100, 000 to N500, 000 or a two-year jail term.
The governor who noted that tourism has become a major contributor to strengthening economies around the world, added: “It is already clear that the future holds much more than oil for our country and tourism is becoming a choice for most oil industries. Lagos is one of those states that have the capacity to diversify its economy into the area of tourism”.
Explaining further, he said: “We have the same coast line of the Atlantic that goes all the way round the west coast and as far as Brazil. Brazil is making money from the Atlantic, why are we not doing the same thing and the reality is that laws like this exist in all these jurisdictions”, adding that the amendment would help the state measure the growth of tourism and realistic projections of tourists over a period of time.
Abdulateef Abdulhakeem, special adviser to the governor on political and legislative powers bureau, also explaining the provisions of the law, said the amendment became imperative as several sections of the law were outdated.
“The penalties that were imposed before now are outdated and that is why we see a very high level of disobedience to the rules. This would enable us recognise and grade persons in the industry who have invested a lot of money to ensure they partner with the government in this sector”, he said.
It was gathered that with the amendment, the state ministry of tourism and intergovernmental relations will now be responsible for the regulation of the operations of hotels in the state as against the ministry of commerce and industry which played this role before this time.
BY JOSHUA BASSEY
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