Removal Of Illegal Posters Will Continue —LASAA

The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA, says it will continue to remove illegal posters within the metropolis.

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.

The Managing Director of LASAA, Mr. George Noah, said this on Wednesday in reaction to the order by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kayode Aderanti, that policemen should arrest employees of the agency that attempted to remove any billboard or poster of candidates of political parties.

The LASAA boss warned that since removal of posters that defaced the environment was a statutory obligation of LASAA, it would be unlawful for the police to arrest any LASSA employee for carrying out their lawful duty.

Noah said the agency had published guidelines for deploying electoral materials in four national dailies in addition to a town-hall meeting it had with all the political parties.

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.”

Noah accused the police of attempting to intimidate the workers of the agency, insisting that election materials that violated the agency’s guidelines would be removed regardless of the threat.

He said, “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 revealed that over 100,000 political posters were illegally deployed in the state on a daily basis, adding that removal of these materials had been based on fairness and equality.

He said there were 727 billboards approved by LASAA in the state out of which the agency owns just 26 for creating awareness for the state government.

He pleaded with political parties and candidates to approach outdoor advertising agencies and use their spaces for creating awareness.