Osun State Government has commenced the enforcement of laws regulating erection of signposts in all parts of the state as part of efforts to guide against indiscriminate use of the public places for advertisement.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the Osun Signage Hoarding and Advertisement Agency, Mrs Dupe Ajayi Gbadebo, told journalists that the enforcement became necessary to ensure standard practice and protect the environment.

Ajayi Gbadebo who spoke at the media chat organised by the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, “News Point” urged the owners of signposts and billboards in the state to ensure that they adhere to the guidelines and obey regulations to avoid removal of such signposts and billboards.

According to her, “We are determined to ensure adherence to standard in the manner billboards and signposts could be erected in any part of this state. A wrongly erected billboard or poster constitutes serious danger to the society.”

“We have commenced the enforcement of the laws guiding the signage in this state and we appeal to whoever that has billboards and signposts to register with the agency appropriately.”

Ajayi Gbadebo said the agency has given adequate notice to the people of the state and that the unauthorised billboard and signposts would be removed if the owners failed to do the needful.

She also disclosed that posters pasted indiscriminately in the state would be removed and advised that people who want to paste posters in public places should register with the agency for necessary authorisation.

Ajayi Gbadebo noted that the agency was not out to witch-hunt politicians and political parties but to ensure environmental aesthetic, board standardization and enhance productivity.

She explained that the activities of the agency is backed by law and that the agency has the right to sanction those who owned unauthorized boards or remove such from public places.

She insisted that there is nowhere in the world where people are not made to pay for erecting signpost and enjoined those concerned to approach the agency to facilitate payment to the appropriate covers.

“We urge the owners of the billboards and signposts in Osun State to pay necessary fees to government covers through the banks and it is important to state that we don’t allow payment of cash to our staff.”

Update news