The Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA) on Wednesday removed two campaign billboards belonging to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ilorin, the state capital, over violations of regulatory guidelines.
The billboards, which belong to the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Engr. Kale Kawu, were lowered for violating advertising campaign rules, environmental protection standards, and public infrastructure regulations.
The two affected billboards were placed at Adabata Junction, where a newly constructed road was dug, and hung on a public water facility (motorized borehole) at Bata Shop, Agaka both of which the agency classified as an abuse of public property.
Speaking during the enforcement exercise with the task force, the General Manager of the agency, Mr. Toba Adeyeye, said the action followed numerous complaints received from the public.
Adeyeye described the actions as the height of irresponsibility, stating that the agency was merely discharging its statutory duties of regulating outdoor advertising across the state.
“We are out because we received numerous complaints from the public. We left Adabata Junction, where a newly constructed road was actually dug for the placement of a billboard. It is totally unhealthy and unbelievable.”
“When we got the report, we could not believe that anybody could actually do such a thing. To ensure safety in the area, the billboard had to be pulled down to examine the motive behind digging a road known to be mainly for motorists and pedestrians.”
“The road that was destroyed belongs to the people of Kwara. It is a road fixed with taxpayers’ money. How can you just dig the road and say you want to use it for a political campaign? We cannot use taxpayers’ money to fix a road only for some people to destroy it to erect billboards,” he said.
Addressing the second infraction, he noted, “The other one is fixed on government property, which is public infrastructure. If you need to use government infrastructure for any form of advertisement or campaign, you must seek approval from the relevant agencies. We work closely with the Ministry of Water Resources, which owns the water facilities, and there are standard procedures for approval.”
“So, it is a surprise to us that anybody could just do that. How did they even gain access into these premises? How can you go into a government facility and hang something without anyone’s approval?”
The General Manager refuted claims that the agency was targeting opposition parties, emphasizing that KWASAA is non-partisan and applies regulations uniformly.
“We are not partisan, but we will do our job no matter the party or candidate involved. The most important thing for us at KWASAA is Kwara. Kwara comes first, no matter the party or candidate.”
“We understand that some people might perceive it as an attack on a particular candidate. The PDP also has other billboards in town which we did not touch. Currently, they are the most visible party with billboards around town.”
“Previously, during the primary elections, we carried out similar enforcement that heavily affected the ruling party as well. If any ruling party candidate commits such offences, we are going to pull it down, just as we did during their primaries when we removed many such campaigns,” he stated.
Highlighting efforts to sensitize the public, Adeyeye said the agency had conducted extensive awareness campaigns across all radio stations in the state and recently held stakeholder engagements concerning political campaigns.
“This exercise is a continuous one. People violate rules every day, especially during this season. We are using this opportunity to tell the public that we are not against any political party or candidate. What we want is for things to be done in an orderly manner,” he concluded.