The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 reinstated the resolve of the agency to removing illegal posters that are defacing the state.
The agency explained that its activities had been non-selective, adding that its statutory responsibility of removing materials indiscriminately placed at unauthorised places in the state could not be compromised, according to a Punch report.
The Managing Director of LASAA, Mr. George Noah, disclosed this in response to the order by the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, which charged police officials to arrest any LASAA staff that tampers with the posters or bill boards belonging to political aspirants.
Noah stated emphatically that the removal of illegal posters was a statutory obligation of the agency adding that they had published guidelines for deploying electoral materials in four national newspapers and held a town-hall meeting with the political parties in that regard.
He said, “Let me state clearly that the removal of posters that deface our environment is a statutory obligation of LASAA. The agency is therefore baffled that the police responsible for enforcing the laws of this nation is encouraging and expressly supporting the flagrant disregard and contravention of environmental guidelines issued to all political parties.”
“The Commissioner of Police and I had a very cordial discussion and I tried to explain to him how we operate, but since their statement has been predesigned, it did not matter what we discussed.”
Noah further revealed that out of 727 billboards approved by LASAA the agency owns just 26 for creating awareness for the state government.
He called on political parties and candidates to negotiate with the outdoor advertising agencies and use their spaces for creating awareness as campaigns for the general elections progress.
