LASAA orders TAN to remove Jonathan ‘s posters LASAA orders TAN to remove Jonathan ‘s posters

The Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) has ordered the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and its affiliates to remove illegally deployed campaign adverts of President Goodluck Jonathan in the state.

LASAA’s Managing Director George Noah told reporters yesterday in Lagos that two outdoor agencies had their contracts worth N350 million terminated due to the flagrant act by supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Noah named the two agencies as Touch Point Nigeria Limited and Clearedge Limited, adding that two advertisers- a Chinese Telecoms Firm and Globacom- have terminated their contracts with the outdoor companies, following the parallel and illegal deployment of the President’s campaign advert.

He said the agency was constrained by the developments in the electioneering campaign “to bring to the fore impunity and illegality that pose immeasurable and long term damage to those who erect, operate and maintain billboards in the state”.

Noah said as a regulatory body, LASAA was willing to give approval to any party that applied to use any of the authorised places, adding that rather than follow due process, PDP and its supporters engage in unlawful acts of destroying other existing adverts paid for on the streets poles to paste that of President Jonathan and other candidates.

Noah stressed that the development was capable of destroying the outdoor industry, particularly at this time of severe competition from TV, radio and social media.

“This illegal and brazen act by agents of the PDP is unjust, inconsiderate and unacceptable,” Noah said, stressing that if not checked it could lead to the lay off of workers and loss of revenues by stakeholders in the sector.

Noah said the PDP had deployed policemen in areas where this illegality was going on, adding that the agencies would remove such campaign materials in line with the enabling law setting up LASAA.

He said the fact that the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) was also putting ‘X’ signs on the campaign materials further confirmed that the advert materials were deployed without complying with the regulatory standard.

“What they have done now is to withdraw policemen who help us do our job, and using the same police to deploy the campaign materials in unauthorised locations”.

“They are coming to Lagos to disrupt the outdoor business worth about N50billion and which employs about 100,000 people. They have transferred all sorts of people to Lagos State to do their dirty jobs. It is one illegality gone too far.”