Officials of the Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA) on Wednesday removed campaign billboards belonging to Engr Kale Kawu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for violation of advertising campaign rules, environmental protection standards, and destruction of public infrastructure.
Of the two political billboards affected, one is located at Adabata Junction, while the other is hung on the public water facility (motorised borehole) at Bata Shop, Agaka – both of which the agency considered an abuse of public facilities.
The General Manager of the Agency, who led the taskforce, Toba Adeyeye, said they carried out the enforcement exercise following receipt of several complaints from the public.
Adeyeye described it as the height of irresponsibility for any individual to dig a portion of the road for the erection of a political billboard.
He said the Agency was only discharging its statutory duties of regulating the placement of outdoor advertising billboards across the state.
‘We are out because we have received numerous complaints by the public. We just left Adabata Junction, where we discovered that the road was actually dug. A newly constructed road was dug for the placement of a billboard. It is totally unhealthy and unbelievable,’ he told reporters on the sideline of the enforcement campaign.
‘When we even got the report, we could not even believe that anybody could actually do such a thing. The safety part of it is that we need to pull it down and then examine such persons that decided to dig a road where you know is majorly for motorists and pedestrians.
‘The road that was destroyed belongs to the people of Kwara. It’s a road that they use the taxpayers’ money to fix. How can you possibly just dig the road and say you want to use it for a political campaign? We can’t use taxpayers’ money to fix a road. Then, suddenly, some people are digging or destroying it to erect billboards.
‘The second one that we also have issue with is that it’s a government property. It’s public infrastructure. If you need to do any form of advertisement or campaign or any sort, like you need a government infrastructure to do that purpose, you need to first of all seek an approval from the relevant agencies. We work closely with the Ministry of Water Resources, which happens to be the owner of the water tanks, and anybody that seeks approval, there are procedures that are required.
‘So, it just comes to us as a shock that anybody could even just do that. How did they even gain access into these premises? How can you just go into a government infrastructure and say you want to hang something there without anybody’s approval?’
The General Manager, while refuting claims that they are targeting opposition parties in the state, said the Agency is not partisan and has been applying the same rules across the board.
‘We are not really partisan, but we will do our job, no matter the party involved, no matter the candidate involved. The most important thing for us at KWASAA is Kwara. Kwara comes first, no matter the party, no matter the candidate,’ he clarified.
‘We just need to make sure that we put things in order. For us, we understand that some people might perceive it as an attack on a particular candidate. They (PDP) also have other billboards in town, which we did not even touch. But now, if you look around town, they are the only feasible party or candidate that is currently having billboards around town.
‘Previously, during the primary elections, we had the same enforcement that affected even the ruling party greatly. If any ruling party candidate commits any of these offences, we are also going to pull it down, which we had done, majorly during their own primary elections, when we had so many of such campaigns.’
Speaking on awareness creation for the general public, Adeyeye said: ‘We have done a lot of awareness before now. We have been on almost all the radio stations in the state, saying the same thing. But some people do not comply. And that’s also what even necessitated us having stakeholders’ engagement, concerning political campaigns just about two weeks ago.’
He said the exercise is continuous, urging members of the public, most especially politicians, to conduct themselves properly.
‘This exercise is a continuous thing. People violate almost every day, especially this season. But we are just using this medium to also tell the people that we are not against any political party or any candidate. What we just want is that, let’s do things in order,’ he said.
‘Anyone campaigning is campaigning to come and represent the people of Kwara State’, he added.