Owing to the negative effects of the coronavirus, the Anambra Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA) has said that its revenue projection for 2020 will likely experience a 60% fall short, as its activities have largely been undermined.
This was disclosed by Chief Jude Emecheta, the Managing Director of the agency on Thursday when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He stated that the agency’s revenue projection of over N1 billion has become grossly unrealistic, as a result of the coronavirus scourge which led to closing of businesses in the past four months.
His words: “Signage fees are legal and compulsory but not cast in stone; in the light of the economic realities of the lockdown, we can reschedule payment plan upon request and negotiation. For reduction of fees or outright waiver, we don’t have the power to grant that, people who want that should write to the governor through the ministry of finance, internal revenue service and ministry of information. If these authorities approve that we should not collect money from these people, we will allow them to go free”.
In terms of the complaints from business owners who feel that ANSAA is arbitrary with its charges and inconsiderate of the plight of businesses which are just coming back from the lockdown, he stated that those complaints were incorrect. This is given the fact that there is a standard rate for any size of billboard which is unrelated to the nature of the business.
Furthermore, he explicated that there was need for those erecting billboard to acquire approvals and know the rate of their signage; adding that the agency was not party to any association’s agreement not to pay for signage.
Emecheta disclosed that ANSAA is established by law, and its billing is based on provisions of the law and not according to name or face of the business owner. He said, “Our billing is according to the size, type and number of displays; it ranges from N5, 000 for free standing size to N1 million for the big ones, for LED it is about N2 million; they are at liberty not to erect billboard and nobody will demand payment from them”.
As a matter of fact, ANSAA had enumerated 10, 000 houses in Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi and Ekwulobia in the pilot phase of its House Numbering Project and would commence fixing the number plaques on the houses by next week. The numbering would increase accessibility and security in the state as the numbered houses would be uploaded on Google map.
InlandTown! 2020
