My first agenda is to reduce LASAA rate-OAAN President

My first agenda is to reduce LASAA rate-OAAN President

President, Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Mediaviews Limited, Mr Babatunde Adedoyin has said that the main focus of his administration is to ensure that Lagos State Signage and Advertising Agency, LASAA cuts down its site fee on his members.

He said this in an exclusive interview with Marketing Edge, describing the 40 per cent LASAA fee as unacceptable, unfair and ungodly to the growth of advertising industry in Nigeria and the state in particular.

According to him, the advertising practitioners contribute largely to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the state and the best way for the state government to pay back is by reducing its charges on OAAN members.

He said, “My first priority is LASAA, my second priority is LASAA, my third priority is LASAA. Though LASAA has no problem with us as a regulatory body but it must reduce its rate.”

Adedoyin who himself is a politician explained that OAAN would not engage LASAA in a public battle but would use its political goodwill to influence the necessary changes it envisages in the present administration.

“We are going to dialogue with the government but if all avenues to make them understand us fail then we will take them to court,” he said.

On the challenges being faced by advertisers, Adedoyin lamented that the business is currently in a state of recession due to the inability of clients to pay the agencies.

He said, “Some of our people borrowed money to erect billboards but our clients are yet to pay. I must tell you, there are some that have not paid me since January and they use our billboards free.”

However, the OAAN president stated that his administration would not tolerate indiscipline among members, saying the era of monopoly where members would want to dominate a particular area with their billboards had gone.

“We are going to resist that because the roads belong to everybody and nobody can monopolise it,” he said.