ADVAN strength is teamwork says, re-elected president

Members of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria have unanimously re-elected Kola Oyeyemi, general manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria for second terms as their president. He re- emerged unopposed as the president.

Others re-elected include unopposed include, Iquo Ukoh of Nestle as first vice president and Lampe Omoyele of GSK as second vice president; Bimbo Alabi (Cadbury) as treasurer and Femi Adeniba (Frieslandcampina) as publicity secretary.

In his acceptance speech, Kola Oyeyemi said 20 years after the association; it has demonstrated its relevance which has ensured not only its survival but enhanced status in the industry.

He who commended his colleagues for their roles in making the association strong as it is today and sought the assistance of his members to build the association to a bigger platform.

Speaking earlier, George Noah, the managing director of Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA), expressed worry that the state is losing a whopping N1 billion tariff annually from advertisement billboards at military and police formations within the state.

The state agency in control of billboards and other signage – Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, LASAA – is not collecting taxes from the billboards at such Federal Government establishments.

Worried by this development which the state is looking at ways to address, George Noah, the managing director of LASAA while addressing a community of marketing practitioners at Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) 2013 annual meeting in Lagos also regretted the mounting of what he described as “illegal outdoor signage” at military, police and other Federal Government establishments in the state.

According to Noah, “We have a huge problem in our hand. The police, military and other Federal Government establishments in the state are practicing outdoor business and regulation by default and there is nowhere in the law that permits these institutions to regulate and control signage industry.”

He said the collaboration by advertisers and the Federal Government establishment to practice outdoor is costing the state government N1 billion revenue. “However the emphasis is not on the money but LASAA is interested in doing things right to create an attractive environment.”