Kogi Information Commissioner Urges Political Parties, Stakeholders To Comply With KOSSAA's Guidelines »

…says the figures have been reviewed to enhance total compliance

By Segun Adegboyega

The Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Femi Fanwo has urged all political parties and other critical stakeholders to adhere strictly to the guidelines issued by the State Signage and Advertisement Agency on the campaign of candidates and advertisement rates for products and services.

The Honourable Commissioner gave the charge in a message to stakeholders meeting organised by the Kogi State Signage and Advertisement Agency at the Banquet Hall Government House, Lokoja on Tuesday.

The Commissioner who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr Awulu David Tijani said the meeting was convened for the stakeholders to deliberate on the guidelines governing outdoor political campaign advertisements in the state.

He emphasized on the increasing need to ensure that political party communication is conducted responsibly, lawfully, transparently and in a manner that respects the rights of citizens, the integrity of public spaces and the collective interest of the state in order to prevent environmental degradation, public obstruction, visual pollution, misinformation and unnecessary tension among political supporters.

The Commissioner noted that the objective of the regulation is not to suppress political expression or unfairly restrict the activities of any political party or candidate, but to establish a transparent and equitable system in which political advertisements are displayed in accordance with applicable laws, approved procedures and established public safety standards.

“The objective of the regulations is not to suppress any political expression or to unfairly restrict the activities of any political party or candidate. The objectives are to create equal and fair access, environmental protection, public safety, accountability, peaceful political participation and institutional coordination across the state.” He stated.

He further explained that the Kogi State Government recognises the importance of a well-informed citizenry and the contribution of responsible political communication to democratic development, saying Ministry of Information and Communications has a responsibility to promote effective public communication, encourage professionalism in the information sector and support an environment in which citizens can access information through lawful and credible channels.

Speaking further, he charged all political parties, candidates, campaign organisations and their supporters to demonstrate restraint and respect for the rights of other, encouraging them to reject the destruction of rival parties’ lawful advertisements, the unauthorised occupation of designated advertising spaces and any attempt to provoke confrontation through political displays.

He urged all stakeholders to recognise their responsibility to protect public property and preserve the environmental quality of the towns and cities.

The General Manager of the Kogi State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KOSSAA) Hon. Osaseyi Richard in his media briefing after the meeting revealed that after thorough deliberation, consideration and recommendations from the critical stakeholders, the Agency had reviewed and rolled out new figures for the candidates.

He highlighted that the Presidential candidates are to pay 25 million naira, Senatorial candidates 20 millions naira, House of Representatives Candidates 10 millions naira, House of Assembly candidates 1.5 millions naira, while Chairmanship is 1 million naira.

He encouraged all the candidates and stakeholders to comply in order to avoid enforcement and unnecessary penalties for disobedience to the guidelines and laws.

The GM stressed that KOSSAA’s aim and objective is to regulate outdoor advertisement and other promotional materials.

The representatives of various political parties, earlier in their submissions, urged the Agency to provide a level playing field for all parties, saying that would promote democracy.

They also called for a drastic reduction in the cost of advertisements, adding that other opposite parties were not in position to pay as much as was earlier announced, stressing that it was the only way not to suppress the opposition candidates.

Representative of Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Elder Ibrahim Itodo expressed appreciation to the Agency for the consideration by listening to the voice of reasoning and assured that they would comply with the new rates.