FCT Billboard Management: Between Equity and Justice
Still basking in the euphoria of the recent Ibadan High Court decision restraining the Oyo State Outdoor Advertising Monitoring Group (OSOAMOG) and the Oyo state government from acting as regulator of outdoor advertising practice in the state, the Ahmed omisore led Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) is involved in another squabbles with the Mnister for the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-rufai . OAAN has been of late in various crises with State Governments who now see the regulation of outdoor advertising business in their states. Some they settled by negotiation, some they settled by court order and some dialogue still on-going.
The FCT minister is presently being appealed to by OAAN to exercise restraint on the billboards proposals submitted to the him by some group of people who presumably are not OAAN members, on the planned Franchising of Abuja roads.
During a press briefing in Lagos last week, the Association's vice-president Mr. Kole Ademulegun said OAAN's is reacting to the story published in the Punch Newspaper of Friday July 30, 2004 in which the Chief Press Secretary to the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Kingsley Akgha confirmed that arrangements are already under-way to consider billboards proposals submitted to the Minister by some group of people who presumably are not OAAN members on the planned Franchising of Abuja roads. Is this a case of another legal battle? or intercession? Where lies equity? These are the questions on the lips of industry watchers who pity OAAN's involvement in too many battles.
What is the story line? The game plan was said to have started more than five months ago when the minister threatened to remove all billboards in Abuja where the owners failed to remove them within 7 days. OAAN was said to have made spirited efforts to make the minister have a change of heart. This fell into deaf hears as all the marked billboards were eventually demolished.
It is on record that over 5,000 billboards of different sizes and shapes were crushed by the Minister's bulldozers. This resulted in loss of over N500 million investment of the outdoor practitioners. Most outdoor practioners now have to grapple with legal actions resulting from breach of contracts. The removal order has by no doubt left sad memories in the affected outdoor advertising practitioners whose investments are on the roads whith lots of employees as beneficiaries.
After the demolition exercise, THISDAY checks revealed that the outdoor practitioners attempted to hold a meeting with the Minister. All to no avail. The cheering news however came having waited for about four weeks when a said aide of the Honourable Minister reliably informed the OAAN people that the Minister has finally given his words to work with OAAN in the new arrangement.
Recent developments have prove otherwise, as reality of the moment shows that the Minister has not only received applications from un-registered practitioners, but has also processed such applications while OAAN awaits guidelines for re-erection of billboards within the FCT.
Against this background, one begins to ask whether the very hardworking Minister of the FCT might have been wrongly counseled in interest of businessmen against real regulations which the law vested in OAAN.
In the interest of equity, justice fairplay, and respect for the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria makes OAAN the recognized sectorial Association to oversee outdoor advertising in Nigeria, the minister will do better if reasons will prevail.
OAAN is the recognized sectorial Association to oversee outdoor advertising in Nigeria, under APCON, which was established by Act 55 of 1988 as amended by Act 93 of 1992
Voice of reasoning must get to the Minister so as to make public the procedures of the said guidelines for re-erection in Abuja, suspend the issue of franchising Abuja which is believed to be against fair business practice and invite OAAN for dialogue on this issue. The Honourable Minister may also organize a stockholders meeting promised earlier where meaningful suggestions will be made to Government
It is highly demoralising and intimidating for a group of professionals who are custodians of outdoor practice to see their fate decided in the pages of newspapers without prior discussion.
OAAN is the umbrella body of highly reputed professionals that is empowered to carry out activities related to outdoor advertising practice in the country in conjunction with relevant government organs as obtainable in other parts of the world. This is a right that must be accorded this group of professionals in the interest of rule of law.
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