Lagos State debunks claim billboard permit fee is ₦700m

The Lagos State Government has debunked a viral claim that the billboard permit fee has been raised to ₦700 million, stressing that the government does not run billboards and does not set the rates billboard owners charge.

Viral ₦700m fee claim is false

Gbenga Omotoso, the state's Commissioner for Information and Strategy, made the clarification after social media posts trending with the claim: 'That is why you hardly see NDC on Lagos roads.' Omotoso said the Lagos State Government has not raised the billboard permit fee to ₦700 million and the claim is not true.

₦7m registration fee; regulator separate from operators

The government said it does not run billboards. The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) is only a regulator, not an operator, and it does not determine the rates charged by billboard owners. To register as an outdoor advertising practitioner, interested persons must obtain a non-refundable form of ₦7 million, register with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), and fulfil other stipulated requirements.