Outdoor Advertising: Before the ‘axe’ falls…

After some long-drawn battles with regulatory authorities, dating back to over a decade, relative peace seems to be gradually returning to the out- of -home advertising sector in Nigeria. Practitioners in the sector, are gradually getting on the same page with their hitherto tormentors-in -chief, the states’ outdoor advertising regulatory bodies.

For instance, unlike in time past, when the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency  (LASAA) would  not sit under same roof, with practitioners to discuss issues of common interests, mutual agreements are presently being reached.

The mutual distrusts of old, occasioned by the Makanjuola Alabi-led agency’s decision to pull down  signages and investments, worth  billions of Naira in the state, are gradually giving way to useful engagements on both  sides.

Though not perfect, stakeholders, however, are of the firm belief that it is a vast improvement on past relationships. For instance, the readiness of the agency to concede some room, in the area of payments on vacant billboards, by giving discounts on such charges is seen as a pointer to the fact that the two critical stakeholders, in the sector, are beginning to thread a common ground.

But, soothing as this development may be to industry watchers, there are, however, concerns and fears that this newly-found relative peace may be short-lived. For stakeholders, who have been in that space for some time now, that could be terrifying?

The signs are beginning to show that those eras of state’s onslaughts against outdoor furnitures may come soon.

Just recently, the Department of the Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), issued a ‘Stop Work’ order to all ongoing  billboard installations activities with immediate effect in FCT.

The agency had, in a statement, tagged: ‘Notice on Illegal and Uncontrolled Billboard Installations Within FCT’, complained about uncontrolled installation of billboards that failed to  ‘conform with standard regulations for setting out, structural alignment and adequate setback regulations as approved in the Development Control manual of the city’.

It further complained that such development undermines the aesthetic, safety, and beautification of the nation’s capital city.

As a way of curbing such uncontrolled installations ‘for the sake and benefit of all stakeholders’, the Department issued a ‘Stop Work’ order to all ongoing billboard installations activities with immediate effect, until further notice.

It also stated its intention to carry out proper alignment of billboards, technical review of all billboards placement to ensure proper set- out and alignment, in accordance with approved guidelines, in order to ensure billboard installation in the FCT does not pose risks to public safety and obstruct clear urban design, among others.

Perhaps, more frightening, among stakeholders, is the agency’s plan to embark on a citywide clean-up of Illegal, substandard, and dilapidated billboards. The concerns by those stakeholders are hinged on the likelihood of the ‘innocent’ being punished for the misdemeanours of the ‘guilty’, as happened many years ago in Lagos, when  Makanjuola Alabi- led LASAA pulled  down  all billboards in Lagos because some practitioners, not all, violated the rules.

Not a few lives and livelihoods were lost due to the exercise. A sizeable number of practitioners and agencies did not survive because they couldn’t meet the strict rules and hurdles they would have to comply with and scale, before they would  be allowed to practise.

Interestingly, while practitioners in Abuja are being given the strict warnings by DOAS, there are muted conversations in Lagos that the space there may witness such in the not-too-distant future.

Many stakeholders believed that the space is fast regressing into its old inglorious past, when signages clusters and clutters, were   the order of the day, and a key reason for bringing down multi-billion  naira investments in the state, then.

“Drive through the city, from  Ikeja to Ikoyi, to Victoria Island, and even  Abule Egba, one  will see that the rules guiding outdoor advertising installations are not being strictly adhered to,” argued a practitioner, who would  not want his name in print.

For instance, he stated, the required distance between signages  are not being observed in some areas, while some of those billboards installed are definitely not up to the required standards in others.

All these, the practitioner feared, are a way of  gradually preparing the ground for the state outdoor regulatory agency to again wield the big stick. How did we get here?

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Interestingly, the question on the lips of stakeholders has been how the sector has suddenly descended into this new low without it knowing.

For those conversant with the industry, the latest development is not unexpected. They believed if  states’ outdoor advertising regulatory agencies had also played by the rule, and strictly limited  their activities to regulation, the space would  have been saner than it is today.

For instance, not a few are of the opinion that LASAA’s decision to play a dual role of a regulator and an operator, gave room to many lapses. It is an open secret that the agency, instead of going  through practitioners, also has its billboards hoisted around the city, a development many consider as hugely professional.

Also, LASAA’s decision to register outdoor agencies, even  when  it was obvious that such agencies never  met  the required registration standards is seen as another factor responsible for the gradual slide in standards in the sector.

For instance, it is generally believed that many outdoor firms got registered by the state regulatory agency because of the connections and influence they wield within the corridors of power, and not because of their competencies.

Need  for self-regulation before the hammer falls

Many therefore believe there is the need for practitioners in the sector to be pro-active, since the stakes are much higher this time  around than they were  years ago.

It is.also generally believed that one  of such ways to achieve that is through self-regulation.

“Agencies and practitioners should not be waiting for anybody to breathe down  their necks before doing  the right thing.  Degrading the environment in the name of advertising is an ill-wind that blows no one  any good. The repercussions are always dire,” a practitioner stated.

Interestingly, the President of the Out of Home Advertising Association (OAAN) , Sola Akinsiku believed warnings, such as DOAS’ were  necessary to alert practitioners and other critical stakeholders in the ecosystem to the danger of flouting the rules guiding the practice.

He identified charlatanism as one  of such infractions that have continued to hinder the growth of the business, and bring it into disrepute.

“Every stakeholder must be ready to do the right thing.  We should not condone these negative developments. We should be wary of those registered-by-night practitioners, who come into the practice by the backdoor. Their activities  are largely responsible for most of these complaints that we are presently seeing,” he stated.

He would  want states’ outdoor ad agencies to be more thorough while registering outdoor ad firms so as to ensure they meet basic standards guiding the practice.

The OAAN boss therefore expressed the readiness of the association to support the states’ outdoor ad regulatory authorities in their efforts at restoring sanity into the space.

“It is ironical and rather unfortunate that outdoor ad furnitures that are meant to enhance the aesthetics of the space are actually compromising the beauty of such space. We believe drawing the attention of practitioners to the fact that they need to play by the rule is very important, to avert dire consequences. We are ready to support every move by states’ outdoor ad regulatory authorities at ensuring sanity in this space,” Akinsiku stated

Reassuring, no doubt, but the consensus among practitioners is that OAAN has a role to play to ensure the right things are done in the sector. Besides pledging support to relevant outdoor ad regulatory bodies, it must in its own sphere of influence educate members on why it has become critical to play by the rule to avert the regulatory axe from  falling on both  the innocent and the guilty.