By Oghenero Orovwuje
ASABA/Nigeria: Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has directed the Delta State Signage and Advertisement Agency (DESSAA) to enforce all existing laws regulating outdoor advertising, in a decisive move to sanitise the sector and restore order across the state’s signage landscape.
The directive was conveyed in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, who said the enforcement aligns with extant laws empowering DESSAA to regulate and streamline outdoor advertising practices statewide.
According to the statement, the government has introduced immediate compliance measures aimed at bringing structure, accountability, and professionalism into the industry, which it noted has for long operated without adequate regulation.
Among the measures is the introduction of “Operation Tag Your Boards,” which mandates that all billboard structures must clearly display the emblem or company name of the owner or practitioner responsible for them.
In addition, all outdoor advertising practitioners have been directed to submit their Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) certificates to the Office of the Director of Administration at DESSAA, as part of efforts to ensure only duly certified operators are allowed to function within the state.
Operators are also required to provide a comprehensive list of their advertising sites, along with evidence of approvals duly obtained and authorised by DESSAA.
The state government has given all affected practitioners a strict seven-day deadline from the date of the notice to comply with the new directives, warning that failure to do so will attract sanctions.
Dr. Emu emphasised that the enforcement has become both urgent and necessary to elevate the standards of outdoor advertising in Delta State and to put an end to what he described as a “free-for-all” practice in the sector.
He noted that beyond regulation, the initiative is aimed at improving the visual aesthetics of major cities and towns, while addressing the environmental hazards and nuisance caused by the indiscriminate clustering of billboards.
The SSG warned that any operator who fails to comply within the stipulated timeframe would be deemed to be in gross defiance of government directives and would face appropriate sanctions as prescribed by law.
For further enquiries, the statement advised stakeholders to contact the agency through designated phone lines or visit the DESSAA office located at Block 11B, Old Secretariat, Summit Road, Asaba.
The state government reiterated its commitment to maintaining order, enhancing urban aesthetics, and ensuring that all business activities in the signage and advertisement sector operate within the bounds of the law.
