The Oyo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OYSAA) has declared a zero-tolerance policy against the rising wave of vandalism targeting legally approved billboards across the state.
The Agency made this known in a public statement issued on Thursday and signed by its director-General, Oludolapo Eso-Ajanaku.
Eso-Ajanaku strongly condemned the actions of lawless entities sabotaging compliant outdoor advertisements.
The Director-General stated that “no private individual, advertising practitioner or organisation has the authority to unilaterally remove, interfere with, deface or vandalise advertisements that have been lawfully approved and paid for through the prescribed regulatory process.”
The agency’s warning follows escalating friction on the field, with officers confronting physical resistance while attempting to enforce state laws.
Eso-Ajanaku also expressed concern over recent attempts to “obstruct and interfere with officers of the Agency in the lawful discharge of their statutory responsibilities, including alleged threats directed at enforcement personnel.”
Reaffirming the state’s absolute jurisdiction over the outdoor landscape, the Director-General added, “the Agency will not tolerate conduct that undermines the regulatory framework governing outdoor advertising in Oyo State or places its officers at risk in the course of performing their official functions.”
OYSAA has directed all aggrieved parties to abandon self-help tactics and utilise established regulatory communication lines instead.
The public notice strongly reminded stakeholders that “any dispute concerning an advertisement, permit, payment, location or regulatory approval must be addressed through the appropriate channels with OYSAA and not through unilateral action against approved advertising assets.”
The Director-General warned that anyone caught circumventing the system “may be liable to appropriate regulatory, civil and/or criminal proceedings, as applicable.”
Moving forward, the agency said it is actively conducting field investigations, compiling evidence of property damage, and identifying individuals behind the intimidation of state workers.
Eso-Ajanaku reiterated that while the agency remains fully open to constructive engagement with compliant operators, it will aggressively defend its statutory mandates to sanitise the environment.
He stressed that the agency “will not permit any individual or organisation to substitute unilateral action for the lawful regulatory processes of the State,” promising to enforce the law “without fear or favour.”
