LASAA Police Crises Update

At a time when all hands should be on deck for a peaceful general election, fresh crisis keep brewing between the Lagos State Advertising and Signage Agency, LASAA and federal agencies regarding the indiscriminate pasting of posters in Lagos heating up the temperature of the nation’s industrial and economic nerve centre.

George Noah told Marketing Edge exclusively that security agencies like the police whose sole responsibility is to maintain peace and orderliness have been deployed to federal highways to pull down advert posters meant for blue-chip companies without consideration for existing contracts and the multinationals whose campaign plans are flagrantly disrupted and then contribution to the development and then place electioneering campaign posters on them.

Noah worries that this to a large extent may be sending the wrong signal to these companies and international communities on the state of lawlessness of Nigerian institutions.

“There has been no form of cooperation from the police. Right now, policemen are standing watch over the illegal acts” Noah said.

What is curious for many here is that this is in same country where people are under-policed and insecurity is on the rise.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Cornelius Kayode Aderanti addressing the press recently

Kayode Aderanti, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, had earlier, ordered the state’s signage agency to stop removing posters and hoarding erected by politicians and political parties. He also directed Divisional Police Officers and Area Commanders to arrest any LASAA official seen to be removing campaign posters.

Before the Independent Electoral Commission flagged off electoral campaign last year, there were just about 20, 000 posters all over Lagos, but right now, there are over 200,000 campaign posters littering the streets.

In spite of industry stakeholders sensitization earlier through a town hall meetings where APCON, OAAN and civil societies on rules governing the out of home industry, reported and advertised in major newspapers in the country, still some are bent on creating crisis in Lagos.