Edo APOSPON Advocates for Enhanced Collaboration with EDSAA

The Edo State Chapter of the Association of Professional Outdoor Signage Practitioners of Nigeria (APOSPON) has called for greater collaboration with the Edo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (EDSAA) to ensure the effective fulfilment of its constitutional mandate.

Esokpunwu Dave, the Chairman of APOSPON in Edo State, made this appeal during a press briefing held in Benin City on Monday. He acknowledged the historical legal dispute between APOSPON and EDSAA over its establishment under the administration of former governor Godwin Obaseki, noting that the Association had initially challenged EDSAA’s legality in court.

According to Esokpunwu, EDSAA's creation effectively transferred the responsibility of administering outdoor advertisements, traditionally handled by Local Governments, to a State-level agency. He explained that this situation arose due to the influence of State governors in determining Local Government leadership, which, in turn, weakened the autonomy of Local Councils.

“If you look at the government of the day, they have set up a body called EDSAA. Over the years, right from Obaseki’s administration, we have been opposing the establishment of EDSAA. They passed a law forming EDSAA, and we challenged this law in court because it contravenes the provision of Schedule 4 of the Nigerian Constitution,” Esokpunwu stated.

He added that despite APOSPON’s legal challenge, the law was enacted during the closing phase of Obaseki’s administration, allowing EDSAA to be operationalised. The process involved negotiations between the Agency, Local Government Chairmen, and APOSPON. However, Esokpunwu alleged that Local Governments, unable to oppose the State due to their limited autonomy, ceded their powers to the State-level body.

“So instead of the Local Governments defending their constitutional rights, they acquiesced to the State government’s decision. We made our stance clear—we couldn’t work with EDSAA while the matter was still in court. However, the Local Government Chairmen compromised, effectively transferring their powers to the State government,” he added.

With the recent change in administration and Senator Monday Okpebholo assuming leadership as the Governor of Edo State, APOSPON expressed its willingness to work with the government, provided EDSAA operates within the principles of the outdoor advertising profession. Esokpunwu emphasised the need for equitable revenue sharing, urging that Local Governments receive a significant portion of revenue generated from outdoor advertisements.

“So long as EDSAA is working within the tenets of the outdoor profession, respecting our investments, and ensuring that Local Governments are adequately involved and receive the lion’s share of revenues, we are ready to collaborate. Our goal is to ensure that outdoor advertising benefits all stakeholders,” Esokpunwu concluded.