Stakeholders debate Lagos Bill on Advertising - Continued
Presient of OAAN, Chief Omisore, sought clarification on some aspects of the bill. In his 14 points observation, he noted that despite prior discussions with the agency, issues like the problem of multiple taxation were introduced into it. Specifically, OAAN called on the state to specify the amount to be paid as charges within different zones in the country for mounting outdoor structures and charges of ammendments of existing ones to be approved by the governing board. The association said payment of N100,000 should be paid once and for all by a billboard owner in respect of registration certificate which qualifies him to practice in the state, and not yearly as proposed by the bill, that where an existing structure did not conform with the standards of the law, the agency in charge shall notify the owner to remove it within 30 days of notice, before it can take any move to remove it.That the agency must confirm that such boards constitute threat to public safety, that payment of rental fee should be single and not multiple as the bill seeks to charge 12.5% of annual rental paid by advertisers as advertisement permit fee.

With the conspicous abscence of local government representative at the forum, the group expressed pessimism over the joint administration between the two tiers saying that inspite of new arrangement, some local government officials had continued to destroy their investments. They also recommended that the law should take effect from January 1, 2006 and that theft of posters and the menace of area boys should be adequately addressed by the law. Chairman, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, Mr. May Nzeribe, reminded the law makers of the need to collaborate with the counci, which is statutorily empowered to regulate all forms of adverising. He also stressed the need for the law to be holistic in addressing environmental issues affecting the industry. Chairman, House committe on the environment, Adeyemi Ikuforiji assured the professionals that the law had no intention to contradict the law empowering APCON or any other regulatory agency. Other adjoining advertising stakeholders like the advertising spenders, Advertising Association of Nigeria; the agencies, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, the media buyers , Media Independent Association of Nigeria; The Signwriting Association of Nigeria and members of the public in articlating their views called for a law that would stand the test of time and restrain from passing more cost onto product and service users.