The Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency, (OYSAA), has stated that the ongoing reform, currently going on in the state’s outdoor space,  is designed to enhance the aesthetics of the state, rather than putting outdoor advertising  practitioners out of job.

Allaying the fears in some quarters that the clean up exercise, which had witnessed the removal of a substantial number of billboards  on the streets of Ibadan, the state capital, would sound the death knell of outdoor advertising business in the state, the Director General of the agency, Mr Yinka Adepoju, in an interview with Brands & Marketing, explained that the aim of the agency was to clean up the city in order to attract the much sought-after investors to the city.

He explained that the agency did not  embark on the clean up exercise in the state in order to cripple advertising business and push some advertising practitioners in the state out of business, the OYSAA boss argued that what the agency had done in the past few months of its existence, was to remove all those signages and billboards that had constituted an eyesore and a danger to  lives of residents of the state.

“What we met on ground constituted an eyesore and a disservice to the practice itself. Some of the billboards were ill-maintained, while some had become a major danger to lives of residents. So we just felt the first step was to quickly clear off these bad ones in the first round of this clean up exercise.

“For instance, billboards are still standing in the city of Ibadan, which  means that they are still manageable. They may remain standing if at the end of day they comply with the agency’s laid down rules on outdoor advertising practice in the state,” he added.

According to him, the agency would replicate all the reforms it is presently carrying out in all the major cities in the state so as to enhance the economic fortunes of those areas.

“Any moment from now, we are moving on to Ogbomoso, Oyo, Shaki and other major cities of the state to replicate what we’ve done in Ibadan,” he added.

He described the response the agency had been getting from stakeholders, especially practitioners  within and outside the state, as very encouraging, adding that quite a substantial number of  practitioners had registered with the agency,  while an appreciable number had also obtained registration forms, signifying their intention to comply with the rules as laid down by the agency in the state.

While appealing to those wishing to practise outdoor advertising in the state to register with the agency before  the expiration of its August 17 deadline, the OYSAA boss declared that nobody would be allowed to practise outdoor advertising in the state, without registering with the agency at the expiration of the date.

“By registering with the agency, we will be able to determine the suitability of such practitioners applying for registration and at the same time have a data on those practising the profession in the state,” he added.

 According to him, the agency’s enumerators had started going round the city to register first party signages, while assuring stakeholders that the agency had come up with a price regime that would be affordable to all stakeholders in the state.