Wednesday, March 16, 2011
On war posters in Lagos
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| posters |
In recent years in Lagos, the commercial nerve center of Nigeria, Lagos State signs and advertising Agency (LASA) was a pain in the neck of those who wish to promote their products and services by one of the outdoor advertising media. For these individuals and organizations, LASAA became the beginning of wisdom. It was a taboo to disfigure the streets with posters and signs without the permission of the agency.
A number of people who put up posters and signs erected in the state without the approval of the agency quickly discovered that they just lost their hard earned resources. Officials of the agency generally prowled the state as hungry lions, seeking to remove the posters. The agency has the same sophisticated equipment with which its officers storm into the streets to remove posters. They regularly travel with pick-ups. They pasted posters spray unauthorized areas with water before scraping such places.
The agency, established by the structure of the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Act of 2006, is responsible for the management, regulation and control of signage and the outdoor environment in the state. Many people in Lagos believe that this era seems to have disappeared. Since early this year, Lagos has witnessed campaign posters of candidates for elected office more than ever. Today, political commentators believe that LASAA has become a toothless dog, he can only bark, not bite. Others insist the agency has even stopped barking.
Campaign posters adorn the politicians and other strategic locations are still being stuck daily. Some posters advertising political damage today many roads such as Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Third Mainland Bridge, Apapa-Oshodi highway, Highway Lagos-Badagry, LASU-Isheri Road, Ikorodu Road, Akowonjo Road, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, and many others.
Visits to CMS, Surulere, Lagos Island, Tafawa Balewa Square, Orile Iganmu, Oshodi, Ikeja, Ketu, ojotas, Maryland, Mile Two Abule Egba, Ijora, Alagbado, Ikotun, Okhota, Isolo, Mushin, Yaba, Apapa, Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe, Victoria Island, Lagos Island and some other places by the journalist revealed that LASAA seems to have turned a blind eye to the removal of posters pasted in many of the walls and overflights in the area.
Now, many residents of Lagos are accusing the agency of double standards. They insist that the fear of political power brokers would have clipped the wings LASAA and prevent it from carrying out certain of its constitutional functions. According to them, the agency deliberately avoids remove political campaign signs that it would not be in trouble with some powerful politicians. A few weeks general elections, efforts to control the proliferation of political posters in Lagos seem to have become an arduous task for the agency, said the social sciences, Miss Folasade Owoputi.
"For the first time in recent years, the state witnessed the proliferation of advertising signs policy for the general elections in April and I doubt that LASAA did something about it. Basically, I think it is LASAA double standard for removing posters pasted by a businessman trying to raise awareness of its business, or stick with a religious organization and let the politicians. I think it is a flagrant disobedience of the law . Can anyone continue to LASAA double standard? "
An analyst of public affairs, Mr. Gbenga Ogunleye stated that the issue of campaign posters has become a flashpoint in the state. He warned LASAA not have to worry about the removal of posters in the next two months so that the political confrontation could be avoided by the state. "Recently, Iyana IPAJ, some members went to remove ACN PDP posters advertising one of its candidates and the next day some members of the PDP to remove posters too ACN in one place. This people has led to a violent confrontation and many were macheted. LASAA should just relax now and continue with the removal of posters pasted on unauthorized areas after the general elections this year. "It is better not to LASAA to remove political posters at a time like this because the opposition parties will not see LASAA as an agency of government, but as a tool in the hands of the government to weaken the ACN opposition parties.
"We all know that ACN controls the state and the outgoing governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) is a member of the NCA and is seeking reelection on the platform of ACN. LASAA is an agency of the Government State and tell me, how do you think Mr. Tunji Bello, MD LASAA, remove posters Fashola? " Mr. Moshood Adegoke Salvador is the PDP candidate for the district of Lagos West Senatorial. In a telephone chat with Daily Sun, he said: "It is very striking to any blind man to see that everywhere we put our posters, they continue to flush them out and replace them with posters ACN. And they are the same people who say they do not want the policy of do-or-die. They are those who make policy do-or-die politicking. "I'll draw your attention to many areas," he said. "Go to Western Avenue to Ikorodu Road, they took all our posters and in fact if we replaced them, they would go there and everything delete. They would then replace them with posters ACN.
"Now we're talking about, if you go to Mobolaji Johnson under the bridge, you can see all my posters have been removed and replaced by posters ACN. The moment we put the other, right next to their own, they rinse everything off and put ACN to replace. "They produce their own posters press Lagos State Printing and over. We use our hard earned money to do our own. It's a way to thwart our political interest and they forgot that their votes have Lagosians in their hands, not their eyes. That's what they do not know the future is in their mind.
"What we are saying is that when we put our posters, LASAA would go there and delete everything and ACN would now go to their own again. If we do not mix, LASAA would not see him. Now we have ours, they go there. I do not know what type of double standard, they play. "
Publicity Secretary of the ACN in Lagos State, Mr. Joe IGBOKWE in a telephone chat with Daily Sun absolved the party allegations that supporters of ACN were to go around removing signs PDP, stressing the fact that the party has not asked anyone to do such a thing.
While saying he had heard of the allegation for the first time, he described the alleged abduction of posters belonging to opposition parties as unacceptable. He warned: "We have not asked anybody to help our family to win the election. Remove the other posters is not democratic. We do not support it. We do not support thereof. We have not asked anyone to go do something like this to help us. It is not acceptable. Anyone who does that is what is at your own risk. It does is not in our nature to do so. We've never done that. "
On the allegation that LASAA was an instrument in the hands of the government-controlled ACN Lagos to weaken the opposition parties, IGBOKWE argued that the agency has received authorization from all political parties to paste their posters Lagos until after the general election this year, said the posters would be removed after the elections.
LASAA CEO, Mr. Tunji Bello, on Tuesday, two years last November issued a statement prohibiting indiscriminate pasting of posters in the state. Randomly putting up posters, he said, was against the law. He reminded the general public, including political parties, politicians, political activists, their supporters and other activists that all outdoor advertisements require an LASAA through the issuance of the permit. "This information has become necessary to educate the public and warn against sticking posters on the Blind highways, roads, boulevards, sidewalks and bridges in Lagos state. This information is provided without prejudice to any political party or association. It is our intention to ensure fairness and to apply the rules without feelings. Our common interest is to establish the reason and protect the environment from the contamination of other in response to visual blight. "
When contacted by a text message sent to its line of mobile Thursday, March 3, Bello said: "There is no truth in this, but if you can come to my office tomorrow (Friday, March 4) 3: 00 pm, I'll talk. Please text to remind me in the morning. " A reminder was sent on Friday morning and he said yes. But when the reporter got to her office at about 2:30 pm on Friday, he was informed that Bello was not at the office. Several efforts since then to interview him were unsuccessful.
A number of people who put up posters and signs erected in the state without the approval of the agency quickly discovered that they just lost their hard earned resources. Officials of the agency generally prowled the state as hungry lions, seeking to remove the posters. The agency has the same sophisticated equipment with which its officers storm into the streets to remove posters. They regularly travel with pick-ups. They pasted posters spray unauthorized areas with water before scraping such places.
The agency, established by the structure of the Lagos State Signage and Advertising Act of 2006, is responsible for the management, regulation and control of signage and the outdoor environment in the state. Many people in Lagos believe that this era seems to have disappeared. Since early this year, Lagos has witnessed campaign posters of candidates for elected office more than ever. Today, political commentators believe that LASAA has become a toothless dog, he can only bark, not bite. Others insist the agency has even stopped barking.
Campaign posters adorn the politicians and other strategic locations are still being stuck daily. Some posters advertising political damage today many roads such as Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Third Mainland Bridge, Apapa-Oshodi highway, Highway Lagos-Badagry, LASU-Isheri Road, Ikorodu Road, Akowonjo Road, Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Victoria Island, and many others.
Visits to CMS, Surulere, Lagos Island, Tafawa Balewa Square, Orile Iganmu, Oshodi, Ikeja, Ketu, ojotas, Maryland, Mile Two Abule Egba, Ijora, Alagbado, Ikotun, Okhota, Isolo, Mushin, Yaba, Apapa, Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe, Victoria Island, Lagos Island and some other places by the journalist revealed that LASAA seems to have turned a blind eye to the removal of posters pasted in many of the walls and overflights in the area.
Now, many residents of Lagos are accusing the agency of double standards. They insist that the fear of political power brokers would have clipped the wings LASAA and prevent it from carrying out certain of its constitutional functions. According to them, the agency deliberately avoids remove political campaign signs that it would not be in trouble with some powerful politicians. A few weeks general elections, efforts to control the proliferation of political posters in Lagos seem to have become an arduous task for the agency, said the social sciences, Miss Folasade Owoputi.
"For the first time in recent years, the state witnessed the proliferation of advertising signs policy for the general elections in April and I doubt that LASAA did something about it. Basically, I think it is LASAA double standard for removing posters pasted by a businessman trying to raise awareness of its business, or stick with a religious organization and let the politicians. I think it is a flagrant disobedience of the law . Can anyone continue to LASAA double standard? "
An analyst of public affairs, Mr. Gbenga Ogunleye stated that the issue of campaign posters has become a flashpoint in the state. He warned LASAA not have to worry about the removal of posters in the next two months so that the political confrontation could be avoided by the state. "Recently, Iyana IPAJ, some members went to remove ACN PDP posters advertising one of its candidates and the next day some members of the PDP to remove posters too ACN in one place. This people has led to a violent confrontation and many were macheted. LASAA should just relax now and continue with the removal of posters pasted on unauthorized areas after the general elections this year. "It is better not to LASAA to remove political posters at a time like this because the opposition parties will not see LASAA as an agency of government, but as a tool in the hands of the government to weaken the ACN opposition parties.
"We all know that ACN controls the state and the outgoing governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) is a member of the NCA and is seeking reelection on the platform of ACN. LASAA is an agency of the Government State and tell me, how do you think Mr. Tunji Bello, MD LASAA, remove posters Fashola? " Mr. Moshood Adegoke Salvador is the PDP candidate for the district of Lagos West Senatorial. In a telephone chat with Daily Sun, he said: "It is very striking to any blind man to see that everywhere we put our posters, they continue to flush them out and replace them with posters ACN. And they are the same people who say they do not want the policy of do-or-die. They are those who make policy do-or-die politicking. "I'll draw your attention to many areas," he said. "Go to Western Avenue to Ikorodu Road, they took all our posters and in fact if we replaced them, they would go there and everything delete. They would then replace them with posters ACN.
"Now we're talking about, if you go to Mobolaji Johnson under the bridge, you can see all my posters have been removed and replaced by posters ACN. The moment we put the other, right next to their own, they rinse everything off and put ACN to replace. "They produce their own posters press Lagos State Printing and over. We use our hard earned money to do our own. It's a way to thwart our political interest and they forgot that their votes have Lagosians in their hands, not their eyes. That's what they do not know the future is in their mind.
"What we are saying is that when we put our posters, LASAA would go there and delete everything and ACN would now go to their own again. If we do not mix, LASAA would not see him. Now we have ours, they go there. I do not know what type of double standard, they play. "
Publicity Secretary of the ACN in Lagos State, Mr. Joe IGBOKWE in a telephone chat with Daily Sun absolved the party allegations that supporters of ACN were to go around removing signs PDP, stressing the fact that the party has not asked anyone to do such a thing.
While saying he had heard of the allegation for the first time, he described the alleged abduction of posters belonging to opposition parties as unacceptable. He warned: "We have not asked anybody to help our family to win the election. Remove the other posters is not democratic. We do not support it. We do not support thereof. We have not asked anyone to go do something like this to help us. It is not acceptable. Anyone who does that is what is at your own risk. It does is not in our nature to do so. We've never done that. "
On the allegation that LASAA was an instrument in the hands of the government-controlled ACN Lagos to weaken the opposition parties, IGBOKWE argued that the agency has received authorization from all political parties to paste their posters Lagos until after the general election this year, said the posters would be removed after the elections.
LASAA CEO, Mr. Tunji Bello, on Tuesday, two years last November issued a statement prohibiting indiscriminate pasting of posters in the state. Randomly putting up posters, he said, was against the law. He reminded the general public, including political parties, politicians, political activists, their supporters and other activists that all outdoor advertisements require an LASAA through the issuance of the permit. "This information has become necessary to educate the public and warn against sticking posters on the Blind highways, roads, boulevards, sidewalks and bridges in Lagos state. This information is provided without prejudice to any political party or association. It is our intention to ensure fairness and to apply the rules without feelings. Our common interest is to establish the reason and protect the environment from the contamination of other in response to visual blight. "
When contacted by a text message sent to its line of mobile Thursday, March 3, Bello said: "There is no truth in this, but if you can come to my office tomorrow (Friday, March 4) 3: 00 pm, I'll talk. Please text to remind me in the morning. " A reminder was sent on Friday morning and he said yes. But when the reporter got to her office at about 2:30 pm on Friday, he was informed that Bello was not at the office. Several efforts since then to interview him were unsuccessful.
