By Lukman Olabiyi
Lagos State Government has said no amount of falsehood or cheap blackmail would deter it from regulating business activities in the state.
The government stated this while reacting to allegation levelled against it by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Olajide Adediran, aka Jandor.
Adediran, in a television interview had accused the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) of removing his campaign posters and instructing outdoor advertising agencies from not to fly his campaign materials.
He claimed that the state government instructed outdoor advertising practitioners to reject materials from opposition parties and, therefore, his advertisement materials were brought down midway into a contract.
However, in its reaction, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of LASAA, Prince Adedamola Docemo, said the PDP candidate displayed stark ignorance of the rules guiding outdoor advertisement practice in Lagos. He said LASAA regulates billboard structures and not advertisement campaigns
“The decision to deploy any advertisement is the sole discretion of billboard owners who must have registered with LASAA for a licence to hoist advertisement structures in the state. Advertising companies determine their clients and the terms of their trade. We are familiar with such theatrics displayed by Mr. Adediran and the People’s Democratic Party in their puerile attempt to curry public sympathy by playing the victim. We will, however, never succumb to falsehood and cheap blackmail.LASAA will remain steadfast and committed to its responsibility and the dictates of the law without being partisan.”