Should There Have Been A Contest Here In The First Place? (2)

The Nigerian Army, it is understood is set to reap from the national spread of its installations, to ensure aesthetic beauty, healthy environment and improved economy/welfare for officers and men. The appointment of a consultant is understood to be informed by the need to professionally achieve the aforementioned.

The Nigerian Army is also hoping the consultant’s efforts would augment the central coffers with a global orientation towards a more decent, healthy and beautiful environment. With the foregoing, the consultant has the responsibility to generate extra fund for the Nigerian Army through optimal use of advertising space within its formations pan Nigeria in an environmentally friendly manner.

The stance of the Nigerian Army appears not to be going down well with LASAA, as stakeholders because the Lagos State outdoor management agency did not attend the stakeholders’ meeting. Their absence and ignorance of the deliberations at the parley necessitated another meeting.

The second meeting is said to be in response to the yearning of the outdoor companies and direct clients with installations on the army premises alleging that LASAA continues to demand from them rents on such premises against reassurances that LASAA has no say on the installations within the premises.

The most intriguing aspect of the issue is the army authority’s claim that there was a tripartite meeting involving the managing director of LASAA, The Army Consultants on Outdoor Advertising and the General Officer Commanding 81 Division. The meeting, held at the instance of the GOC was said to have resolved further that “LASAA does not involve itself in any outdoor advertising activity in army premises and or setbacks.”

On that note, the meeting was said to have agreed that there was indeed no need for the perceived friction between the Nigerian Army and LASAA. The enlarged meeting was therefore aimed at clarifying the position to all stakeholders. Curiously, the LASAA boss who was said to have given his tacit approval neither made the meeting nor sent a representative irrespective of the date and time of the meeting having been mutually agreed.

Is this an indication that LASAA has backed out of its earlier indication that the agency has no say in army installations? From time immemorial, Army premises are treated like autonomous premises with own pseudo-government and controls. If the Army has decided to go this way to better its environment knowing well that Army crop of engineers are thorough, will it be proper to subject those premises to LASAA? This again needs some thinking because some of the practitioners sent out of business are finding refuge there. A particular player hitherto with over 50 outdoor premises now with none expresses satisfaction with the only one billboard he currently owns in one of the Army barracks in the country. As the Army has decided to toe this chosen line as a body, if LASAA insists does it mean the Army should appoint consultants to deal with government outdoor agencies in the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT? Questions, questions and questions begging for answers, but the salient thing is that I think the LASAA chief should have shown up at the meeting to make his position known to the stakeholders especially the army rather than playing the active dodger.

Incidentally, the GOC in any state is a cabinet ministerial rank and Lagos state is no exception. The governor of Lagos State and the GOC 81 Division by virtue of those positions should confer and talk from time to time on security issues in the state. Here, a straight forward understanding can be reached without mincing words.

The OAAN suffers a similar faith of inconsistencies in the hands of LASAA. These, however, look like a slight on the yeoman’s job the LASAA Chief Executive is doing in Lagos State.

Sure, coming out to relinquish and consign those Army premises without any recourse to indirect billing and victimization by the agency will have its MULTIPLIER EFFECT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND economy. Erstwhile disillusioned and frustrated practitioner already fallen from grace to grass can heave a sigh of relieve without necessarily indulging in lower standards. The Army promises not to habour substandard hoardings and installations.

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