Thursday, 28th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

LASAA recovers N1 billion debts from defaulters

By Bertram Nwannekanma
05 September 2016   |   1:24 am
The revenue profile of the Lagos State Government has been increased by the recent recovery of N1 billion by the state’s Advertising and Signage Agency (LASAA).The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare....

BABATUNDE-ADEJARE

The revenue profile of the Lagos State Government has been increased by the recent recovery of N1 billion by the state’s Advertising and Signage Agency (LASAA).The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Babatunde Adejare, who disclosed this at a monthly briefing, said the amount was part of the N3.5 billion debts owed by defaulters.

He stressed that the Agency was able to achieve up to 50 per cent improvement in the recovery of hard core debts, while an in-house development of billing software management system was used to enhance bill generation, proper records and reconciliation of third and first party signage accounts.

According to him, the rise was achieved as a result of deterrence measures like issuance of fines and warning letters to defaulters, apprehension of recalcitrant offenders, who place fresh posters on cleaned surfaces.

He also stressed that the introduction of LASAA signage at different offices for easier access to its services in the state as well as LASAA directional signs have also been of help in order to enhance easy navigation of offices by the public.

He said: “The Agency has added 10 operational trucks for effective branch operations and efficiency. There has also been a significant increase in the prompt registration of First party Signage from917 in the First Quarter to 1035 in the second quarter, which is a result of the improvement in the awareness, effective monitoring and enforcement strategies adopted.”

The Commissioner also noted a remarkable improvement in the information disseminated to clients through effective follow-up by bulk SMS (Short messages), phone calls and Town Hall meetings.

LASAA, he said has been ensuring the clean-up of major inner roads, which coverage has moved up from 69 per cent to 81 per cent.The Agency has added 10 operational trucks for effective branch operations and efficiency.

“It has carried out the enforcement of structures belonging to defaulters to ensure compliance with the Agency’s laws. As a result of this, five third party structures and 121 first party structures were enforced over non-payment of permit fees, while 51 illegal first party structures were removed and a total of 33 defaulters were fined,” he added.

On regulation of luminance from Light Emitting Diode (LED) structures, Dr Adejare said LASAA carried out thorough periodic luminance checks on LED structures at night.
The outcome, he said, showed that 96 per cent of all LED structures complied with the approved standards. This is to ensure that LEDS are not overly bright, thereby preventing road accidents.

“On a weekly basis, we have continued to monitor the activities of third party structures for safety purposes, which is usually achieved through continuous maintenance checks on outdoor advertising structures.

“To date, a total number of 32 letters were issued to outdoor practitioners, with respect to the need for structure maintenance. About 29 practitioners responded immediately, resulting in 190 per cent compliance rate. The remaining three were fined before their response was secured.

“Consequently, this has ensured early detection of unsafe conditions on structures and prevented possible accidents, which could impact negatively on lives and property. Through regular checks, the agency ensures structure environment is maintained in sanitary condition,” the Commissioner added.

In this article

0 Comments