Advertisement: LASAA concessions 7 roads, practitioners kick
By Olawunmi Ashafa
The Managing Director of Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), Mr Adedamola Docemo, said the Agency would concession seven roads in the state for Out-of-Home advertising to boost the integrated marketing communications space.
Docemo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the concession of the roads would attract more investors and funds to the advertising industry.
The outdoor advertising space in the state is regulated by the LASAA.
The roads earmarked for concession in the state include Lagos-Badagry Expressway, Isheri LASU Road, Ikorodu Road, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Road, Awolowo Road and Western Avenue.
He said the bidding process was opened to only members of Advertising Practioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) both within and outside the country.
“It is true that seven corridors are offered for concession and it is a bidding process, which is open to all parties that are advertising practitioners.
“All practitioners are invited every month for the bidding. The concession is strictly for advertising practitioners who are APCON registered.
“There is no party in the process that is not APCON registered.
“The essence is to enhance investment and make the corridor open for long term investors who are players in the international market.
“So, they can bring foreign investors and also secure funds for the industry and allow international players into the industry,” he said.
However, the plan to concession some major roads in Lagos State to investors does not sit well with some marketing communications professionals and advertisers.
According to them, the plan if implemented, will have adverse effects on the industry, making some members lose their jobs.
The practioners spoke under the aegies of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group (HASG), in Lagos, against the backdrop of recent onslaught against Out-of-Home Advertising platforms by the Lagos and Kaduna State governments.
They called on LASAA and Kaduna State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KASUPDA) to urgently review their relationship with members of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) to ensure a conducive environment for their businesses to thrive.
Speaking on behalf of HASG, Mr Steve Babaeko, President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), told journalists that fixing of fees payable on billboard platforms by LASAA was arbitrary.
The group also condemned the agency’s compulsory payment of advert permit fees when there were no advertisements on the billboards.
“The concern here is LASAA’s demand that permit fees be paid even when there is nothing to be ‘permitted.’
“Additional to all these is the unrestrained penchant of operatives of LASAA to regularly take the laws into their hands when they carry out their “enforcement” exercises, during which they vandalise advertisement and campaign materials.
“We also observed that LASAA has continued to grant individuals that are not registered practitioners to own billboards and operate in Lagos State, that is contrary to the APCON guidelines.
“This, we also know is eroding APOCON’s regulatory functions, just as it is promoting charlatanism in the advertising industry in the country,” it said.
According to the group, LASAA’s plan to concession seven of the major roads in the state to bidders, and the successful ones to own and operate franchises on such roads for a period of 10 years, is no doubt a grave danger.
It, therefore, called on Gov. Sanwo-Olu to prevail on the agency to shelve it.
“The HASG is of the informed opinion that such exercise will not stimulate the growth of the advertising industry, but can only, at best, lead to monopoly.
“And this will ultimately lead to increase in the cost of engaging Out-of-Home media platforms by advertisers.
“If allowed, the backlash would include the loss of businesses and the means of livelihood of those who currently operate along those corridors.
“There is also the certainty of unemployment issues.
“We believe very strongly that this plan will also have spiral social effects on the environment which will suffer greatly from indiscriminate display of materials, leading to visual blight,” it added.
The group also noted that, the larger advertising industry would be adversely affected, as rates would go up, and advertisers would seek cheaper alternatives including moving on to the social media platforms.
On issues in other state, it said KASUDA gave billboard owners seven days to remove their structures from certain areas of the city.
According to media executives, the reason by KADUSA was that the affected areas are to now be populated by electronic billboards known as LED.
It, however, alleged that while discussions were still ongoing between OAAN and KASUPDA, the state pulled down billboards structures, prevented the owners from recovering them and sold them off.
“We have since found out that the whole essence is to allow some favoured business owners install their LED platforms in those areas, and have the monopoly of practicing there. This is another form of franchising, and HASG frowns at it.
“The HASG wishes to caution both LASAA and KASUPDA as well as those other states that might be planning such acts as highlighted above, that they are acting illegally and that they will end up creating more problems for the industry.
“HASG wishes to inform all the states that this Group will not hesitate to issue a boycott instruction to all advertisers against any state that engages in such infractions as have been committed by LASAA and KASUPDA,” the association stated.
