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Tag: LASAA

  • LASAA, LASBCA partner on signage permits

    LASAA, LASBCA partner on signage permits

    The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) have fine-tuned strategic collaboration aimed at obtaining approval for property development board signage and building construction permits.

    This initiative, which is set to commence on the January 1, 2024, represents a  commitment to enhancing the  development landscape of the state as well as curb corrupt practices in the built environment.

    At a meeting of both agencies in Ikeja, the Managing Director of LASAA, Prince Fatiu Akiolu said: “This collaboration marks a significant milestone in our commitment to creating a more efficient and developer-friendly regulatory environment. By working hand-in-hand with LASBCA, we aim to ensure all development signboards are in compliance with the best global standard and contributing to a better environment.”

    “The process is simple. Application for any building construction to LASBCA will be required to pay for the development board fee for their developments. LASAA will issue a permit letter of approval for the application as well as information board to be affixed to each site.

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    Mr. Akiolu noted that combining forces, LASAA and LASBCA are set to harmonize the permit process for development boards as well as ensure a seamless and coordinated approach to obtaining approval for both building construction and signage permits. He called on estate managers and property developers to desist from using unauthorized and unapproved banners as property signage in their construction sites.

    In his remarks, General Manager of LASBCA, Gbolahan Owodunni Oki said the initiative is to curb sharp practices in the built industry as well as curb the process of shortchanging the state government financially. He said the development board permit granted by LASAA will easily identify the details of the construction being undertaken and the manpower deployed at the construction sites.

    Oki said: “The collaboration with LASAA reflects our joint dedication to the sustainable development of Lagos State. Streamlining the approval process for building constructions and signage permits not only benefits developers but also contributes to a more harmonious and aesthetically pleasing urban landscape.

    “Effective January 1st 2024 all existing and new development must obtain along with other approvals the development board permit from LASAA before the letter of authorization to commence construction can be granted. Construction sites not covered by this signage permit will be sealed up.’’

    He said the unification of billboards and building construction permits will go a long way in regulating the construction industry as it will help to checkmate illegality and reduce the menace of building collapses in the state. He added that the unified permit is an all-inclusive initiative for both commercial and residential buildings.

    Development board is a standard requirement in building approval which communicates essential information about a development, such as project details, contactors and engineering information as well as key features providing valuable details to passersby.

     The collaboration introduces a unified and harmonised application process that will enable private property developers to apply for both building and development signage permits simultaneously.

    Property developers are by this initiative enjoined to achieve holistic compliance by obtaining both building construction approval and signage permits which takes maximum of 48 hours to obtain before mobilizing to site to commence construction which aligns with regulatory standards set by LASAA and LASBCA.

    LASAA is the regulatory body responsible for the management, regulation, and control of outdoor advertising and signage displays in Lagos State while LASBCA is tasked with the responsibilities of formulating the enforcement of building control regulations in the state.

  • LASAA begins clampdown on outdoor advertising debtors

    LASAA begins clampdown on outdoor advertising debtors

    The management of the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has started a clampdown on debtor agencies, its Managing Director, Mobolaji Sanusi, has said.

    This followed the directive of Governor Akinwumi Ambode, to ministries and agencies to begin the enforcement on defaulters and debtors.

    Sanusi said: “We have just finished our strategy session to know how best to enforce those on our debtors’ list.

    “We are scaling up our compliance and enforcement to ensure that outstanding dues to the agency are paid up before the end of the year. For clarity, we have categorised our enforcement teams into billboards, business signs and mobile advertising vehicles.

    “For billboards, we are going after all the defaulters who have refused to pay up their yearly permit fees.

    “In line with our collection model, all billboard owners are subjected to a payment plan every year. We have discovered that 60 per cent of the categories that are supposed to have paid up their outstanding to the agency are still in default.”

    Sanusi said corporate businesses would also feel the enforcement.

    He said: “Some big corporate organisations are still in default for their business premises signs and the branding on their official vehicles. We will ensure they are all captured for enforcement.”

    The managing director stressed the need for businesses to always ensure tax compliance at all times rather than wait for government agencies to carry out enforcement.

    Sanusi said: “The revenue we collect forms a reasonable fraction of what His Excellency (the governor) needs to provide his super structure infrastructural demands of our dear state; hence, the need for those owing the state, not only in the realm of outdoor advertising but also in other spheres of public commitment to our government. After all, our administration has been delivering and meeting public expectations in this regard.”

    The agency chief said LASAA remained committed to the growth of the outdoor advertising industry as well as the aesthetic of the commercial city of Lagos.

    He urged stakeholders in the industry to join hands with the agency to develop the industry’s professionalism and prompt payment of rates.

    Also, LASAA recently launched its 2018 mobile advert sticker for branded vehicles in Lagos.

    It urged branded vehicles captured as fleet to register for a permit with the agency.

    The agency has also warned its clients to desist from patronising middle men and do business directly with its offices in the local government areas.

  • LAMATA, LASAA warn public against phony job adverts

    The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) have warned the public against applying for phony jobs in some public utilities.

    The agencies told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that the consequences of responding to advertisements in some LAMATA bus sheds and other open spaces were dire.

    NAN reports that most of the newly upgraded LAMATA bus sheds have been defaced with phony job adverts by scammers.

    Most of the adverts were written in black ink and done under the cover of the darkness.

    LAMATA and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) sheds at CMS, Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Costain, Barracks, Ojota and Ketu, among others were plastered with such adverts.

    A BRT Bus Ticket seller with LAMATA, Ronke Adisa, told NAN that the adverts were often placed at night.

    “We come in the morning to see the job adverts written on the bus sheds. We are aware that they are not genuine and I have even warned someone copying the numbers written on the wall.

    “Most of the job seekers may not be aware of it because they are desperate. Things are very hard for people, so some people want to use that avenue to exploit.

    “People engaging in this act are heartless by fleecing people who are already depressed. Aside that, they are also destroying the beauty of the bus sheds.

    “I implore those concerned to find a way of arresting the perpetrators of this ungodly act,’’ she said.

    A LAMATA Supervisor, who simply gave his name as Tunde said some of the phone numbers written by the fake advertisers were traceable.

    He said: “Some of the phone numbers are genuine because they needed to get those that will fall prey to their scam.

    “Out of curiosity, I have dialled some of the numbers and I found out that the line was active; I wonder why security agencies cannot track them down to serve as deterrent.

    “I want the security agencies to be alive to their responsibility and track down those responsible for these acts who know they may not be only fraudsters but kidnappers.

    “For us working at the BRT stations, it is not our duty to be on the lookout for those responsible but to attend to the customers.’’

    LAMATA, Head of Media and Communication Mr Kolawole Ojelabi warned the public to disregard what he called the “deceitful adverts”.

    Ojelabi said: “I am appealing to the public to be guided about the fake job adverts placed on our bus sheds. We are not responsible for it and we don’t advertise jobs.

    “We have plans for the spaces on the LAMATA bus sheds which we have concluded plans to concession for genuine adverts.

    “As a responsible company that is out to serve people, we are aware of the fake job adverts and we have alerted security agencies to them and some arrests have been made.

    “We have reported the case to the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) and they are working to see that the perpetrators are brought to justice.”

    Ojelabi warned that LAMATA would not be responsible for any loss suffered by any applicant.

    “We are not responsible for the adverts and we are using this opportunity to warn members of the public on the consequences of patronising scammers.

    “Some of these adverts may not be only to defraud but they may also be to kidnap people, so, I want the public to be guided on these adverts on LAMATA bus sheds.

    “We will continue to serve the people and see to their welfare by providing efficient and qualitative transport service,’’ he said.

    A LASAA official said the laws prohibiting adverts in public spaces were still in place, adding that defaulters would be dealt with.

    “We have existing laws that prohibit the display of such adverts. Those responsible for such adverts are contravening the law and they will be prosecuted when caught.

    “LASAA will not condone such act, especially when it is not in the interest of the public. Relevant security agencies are on the heels of the perpetrators.

    “The laws that prohibit such advert placements is not just for the LAMATA bus sheds but for all the public spaces we have.

    “Nobody has the right to paste posters unless approved by LASAA. I also want people to be wary of paying attention to those adverts in their interest,’’ he said.

    NAN reports that some people have complained of being defrauded after applying for such jobs.

    They claimed that after applying, they were asked to pay a certain amount for interview. After payment, the fraudsters were said to have asked them to pay thousands of naira to get non-existing jobs.

  • LASAA: stop attacking our officials

    LASAA: stop attacking our officials

    The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has warned the public against assaulting its officials.

    Its Managing Director, Mobolaji Sanusi, at a briefing said an attack on the agency’s team was led by a security guard attached to Emglo Suites in Festac Town.

    He added that the guard attacked LASAA officials as they tried to remove an illegal banner within the premises.

    Sanusi said the guard threatened LASAA officials with a pump action rifle, which was later seized by the police monitoring team attached to the agency.

    He said: “An attack on LASAA staff is an attack on the state. The last attack or any subsequent ones on the agency’s officials will be accorded the seriousness it deserves.

    “Those behind the last attack have been arrested and handed over to the Lagos State Task Force for necessary legal action.”

  • LASAA and directional signboards for hospitals

    Sir: Recently, I witnessed an accident occurred on a Lagos road. A salon car had knocked down a pedestrian and the victim was bleeding profusely. The victim was rushed to the “nearest” hospital which was some distance away. But by the time they got to the hospital the patient had bled much. All efforts at resuscitation proved abortive. The patient was certified dead. But just two streets away from where the accident occurred there was a new hospital. Those around then did not know as the hospital was in an obscure place.

    If a directional signboard had been put in place perhaps the victim would have been taken to that place and perhaps the bleeding might have been controlled and the victim might have lived.

    I understand that the Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) would not approve directional signboard, unless the place is in a close or in an estate. This rule should not apply to hospitals as they render humanitarian service. You can never see “No credit today, come tomorrow” in a hospital.” Hospitals think of life first. And that is why the State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) got it right by not making Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration a prerequisite for hospital registration.

    I implore our kind-hearted and thoughtful governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode who has the well-being of Lagosians in mind to revisit this rule. The state House of Assembly should ponder on it.

    There should be a waiver for hospitals, though regulated. I might suggest that the fee for signage for this purpose should be free or at most at a great discount. Life is precious!

     

    • Wisdom Chimaeze,

     Isolo, Lagos

  • Agencies partner on posters’ recycling to protect the environment

    Agencies partner on posters’ recycling to protect the environment

    The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) are working on recycling waste generated from campaign posters to protect the environment.

    LASAA’s Managing Director George Noah told reporters at the weekend that the partnership would aid the agency, as it strives to rid the state of an estimated 1.5 million posters.

    Underlining some of the benefits of recycling the posters, Noah said: “Recycling paper waste conserves natural resources, saves energy, cuts greenhouse gas emissions and keeps landfill space, free for other forms of waste that can’t be recycled.”

    The waste to be recycled, he said, was generated by LASAA’s enforcement team.

    On the process of recycling paper waste, LAWMA said in a statement: “The bulk of paper collected from our landfills or recycling banks is sorted and graded at our Paper Bailing Section at Olusosun dumpsite in Ojota, Lagos and processed at Jebba Paper Mill.

    “At the mill, the paper is added to water and then turned into pulp. It is then screened, cleaned and de-inked through a number of processes until it is suitable for manufacturing new paper products.”

    Few weeks ago, LASAA started removing posters used during elections.

    Noah said over one million posters would be removed, adding: “We are also removing 358 illegal billboards of various types deployed in the state with Alimoso and Eti-Osa accounting for the highest”.

  • LASAA compensates brands for outdoor ads’ disruption

    TO compensate some brands, whose outdoor ads were disrupted by political advertising campaigns, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has extended by three months.

    LAASA noted that the move was borne out of the agency’s understanding of the advertisers loss of share of exposure, hence, decided to make up for losses and inconveniences some of the brands and outdoor advertising practitioners  must have suffered as a result of the disruptions.

    LASAA’s Managing Director Mr. George Noah, explained that while the agency is committed to the growth of the industry, it also feels the pain and bore the brunt of excesses displayed by political agents against regulatory framework for outdoor advertising in Lagos State during the elections.

    “As an agency deeply committed to the growth of the outdoor advertising industry and well-being of our stakeholders, we also feel the pain and  bear the brunt of  excesses perpetrated on the outdoor advertising industry, by political agents who showed a blatant disregard for existing outdoor advertising contractual agreements and   guidelines we issued to  regulate the use of outdoor political campaign materials.”

    He said the acts made the clients and outdoor practitioners loose more money, hence, the need to pay the stakeholders some incentives to cushion the effect.

    “These brazen acts cost us and our esteemed stakeholders’severe losses.Consequently, we are obliged to come up with incentives that could cushion the impact and help restore confidence and jump-start investments in the sector, following the lull recorded in the build up to the general elections,” he said.

    Some outdoor ad practitioners in Lagos, especially those with Streetlamp poles contracts,   it will be recalled, suffered huge losses,  when the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), a support group for the re-election of Nigeria’s outgoing President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, deployed campaign materials in streetlamp poles already paid for by some practitioners.

    This resulted in losses worth millions of naira and the termination of contracts by some leading telecom firms, such as Globacom and Huawei.

  • Lagos orders removal of campaign materials

    The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency has ordered the removal of all outdoor political campaign materials used for last month’s general election.

    LASAA in a public notice signed by its Managing Director, George K. Noah, asked political parties, candidates and their supporters to commence immediate removal of all advertisement structures deployed for that purpose.

    The notice reads: “LASAA requests all political parties, their candidates and supporters to commence immediate removal of all outdoor advertisement structures deployed for the pre-2015 electioneering campaigns.

    “The Agency has embarked on removal of posters across Lagos State and will remove all other outdoor advertisement structures that are not removed within 10 days of the elections as specified by law.”

    The agency appealed to concerned groups and individuals  to adhere to the request to enable prompt restoration of the state aesthetic beauty .

     

  • LASAA begins posters’, banners’ removal

    LASAA begins posters’, banners’ removal

    The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has begun the removal of all political posters and banners in the state.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. George Noah, said the development became necessary following the conclusion of the elections.

    He said: “We have expanded our plan to ensure that the clean-up exercise is completed in the next two months. We are also ready to scale up our effort wherever the need arises.

    “From our findings, over 1, 000, 500 posters will be cleaned in Lagos. We are also removing 358 illegal billboards of various types deployed in the state with Alimoso and Eti Osa accounting for the highest”.

    The agency’s Head of Enforcement, Mrs Olamide Oyegoke, added that LASAA has mapped out areas that require heavy clean-up.

  • LASAA to sue PDP over illegal outdoor adverts

    LASAA to sue PDP over illegal outdoor adverts

    The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has said it will sue the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its affiliates for the violation of its constitutional mandate.

    The agency accused the party of displaying campaign materials of its candidates without recourse to laws regulating advertisement.

    The agency’s solicitors, Priory Terrace Solicitors, which confirmed the development yesterday in company of the agency’s Legal Adviser, Mrs. Oyeyemi Lekan-Osunmakinde, said the court processes had been concluded and that these would be filed immediately the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) calls off its strike.

    The law firm’s representative, Hafiz Shoremi-Balogun, said: “The hallmark of every civilised society is supremacy of law. No one is above the law. Every person, institution and authority is required to comply with the spirit and letter of the law.

    “It is therefore illegal for PDP and its sympathisers to embark on indiscriminate display of political campaign materials in defiance of applicable laws.”

    “It is more worrisome that these acts of illegality are being perpetuated by those who ought to know. The campaign materials which are mounted on street lamp posts in the state, which have been paid for by other advertisers, is not only a breach of the law, it is also a calculated attempt to frustrate the economic objectives of advertisers, who have paid for the right to advertise on these poles.”

    Mrs. Lekan-Osunmakinde said: “Multi-million naira advert contracts have been cancelled by advertisers as a result of the acts of illegality embarked on by the party.

    “The essence of advertisement is maximum publicity and exposure. However by illegally placing their campaign materials to obstruct those lawfully placed, the rights of others are being violated.”