…hails ABSSAA, calls for cooperation of agencies in tax remittance
Abia State Government on Thursday said the current administration is doing all it can to transform Aba into a global economic hub by providing every necessary infrastructure needed for the economy to thrive smoothly.
The Chief of Staff to Governor Alex Otti, Pastor Caleb Ajagba, who represented the Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu, commented on a “One Day Stakeholders Engagement Forum”, organized by the Abia State Signage and Advertising Agency (ABSSAA), with the theme: “The Future Of Outdoor Advertising, Challenges and Prospects”
Ajagba thanked the Managing Director and Chief Executive of ABSSAA and described the stakeholders’ engagement as productive and one that is in line with the vision of Governor Otti.
He told the stakeholders that what the Abia State Government, led by Governor Alex Otti, has continued to do since it came into power is to create an enabling environment and enablers for businesses to thrive.
Ajagba said that when demands are stimulated through advertisement, people will want to buy goods, but when they do not have access to the seller because of bad roads, it means nothing is working.
“Therefore Otti is creating channels everywhere to ensure that your clients and intending clients get to you. Otti wants to make Aba the economic hub here.
“He’s intentional in what he’s doing, which is why the Greater Aba, Greater Umuahia and Greater Ohafia Development Authorities are created so that anywhere you place your advert in Abia, your customers can locate you with ease.”
He added that digital schools are also being created in Abia to give the state fresh minds that will understand the direction the government is going in.
“The money that’ll be used to create all this development will come from the revenue we get from you. Your tax is very important, and it’s important you pay the rate so that we can meet your demands.”
Ajagba said that there are many opportunities for advertisers in Aba, but urged them to think of how their clients in Aba will benefit from their service, because such will make businesses in Aba to be known beyond the shores of the country.
“Think of how your clients will benefit from your services. Show them the values you’re creating for them to trust you.
“Whatever Otti is doing to make Aba Industrial hub, if people outside don’t know what’s happening, our efforts will be defeated.
“It’s necessary for you to creatively show Aba SME drivers the benefits of advertising so that they can engage your services for their own good.”
Mrs Victoria Onwubiko, Managing Director and Chief Executive of ABSSAA, said that the advertising landscape in Abia State has undergone a significant transformation since the establishment of ABSSAA as enshrined in the Abia Law No. 9 of 2012.
She said that the agency, which took off effectively in 2016, has the mandate to control and regulate the placement of outdoor advertising materials and to demand and collect revenues from both first-party and third-party users.
Onwubiko stressed that inasmuch as ABSSAA is meant to collect revenues, it is equally designed to be the brand builder for the State and, with other government arms, embark on beautification projects across the state.
She, however, said that regarding one of its core tasks of bringing the revenues, ABSSAA did excellently well as it grew revenues by over 300% by the end of 2024 over the previous year of 2023.
On how ABSSAA achieved its goals, Onwubiko said that in line with the mantra of Governor Otti for a new Abia, the agency came into office under her leadership in March 2024 and began immediately to reverse the damage that had been done to the State for several years.
“First, we began by repairing the relationships that were badly damaged through the unprofessional conduct of past regimes. This has led to the stakeholder engagement forum becoming an annual event as we are witnessing today.
“This forum allowed us to communicate the plans of the government and to hear from those whom we serve, on how best to serve them.
“We then cleaned up the horizon, embarking on the cutting and excavation of all outdoor structures that were either wrongly erected, obstructing the right of passage of road users, or were no longer in good condition and posed a danger to the public.
“We decluttered the horizon, and by the time we were done, Aba and Umuahia were breathing some fresh air again.”
In his keynote address, the President of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Otumba Sola Akinsiku, described the event as something very important and urged advertising companies to be members of OAAN.
He described the association as one that protects its members and has a serious and important economic role it’s currently playing in Nigeria with huge beneficial effects through the nurturing of perceptions.
Akinsiku urged all OAAN members in Abia State to cooperate with ABSSAA to help grow their business and create an aesthetic environment.
He said that the creation of ABSSAA in Abia State was a wise decision that has brought everything about advertising under one umbrella that makes regulation very easier and smooth.
Akinsiku stressed that OAAN members must be open to regulation, stressing that the association is never against regulation and any move made by the government to bring sanity to the environment.
He went further to praise the Abia Governor for infrastructural development and went further to call for a strategy that will lessen the burden of taxation on operators of Out-Of-Home Advertising.
