Pix: Sola Akinsiku OAAN President

The Out Of Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) has elected new executives to steer the leadership of the association for the next two years at the 38th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Asaba, Delta State. The association also changed its name from Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria to Out-of-home Advertising Association of Nigeria, retaining the acronym, OAAN.

The elected executives includes Mr. Sola Akinsiku, president; Mr. Omo Abunene; vice president; Mr. Churuchill Nwagwu, general secretary; Mrs. Adeola Odesanya, assistant general secretary; Mr. Chinweuba Nwagu, treasurer and Mr. Babs Fagade, publicity secretary.

Chief George Onwujiariri, Mr. Alfred Akokhia, Mr. Ambrose Nnodim, Mr. Thaddeus Ukpe, and Mr. Kayode Akanbi were also elected at the AGM, but as ex-officio members.

The outgoing president, Chief Emmanuel Ajufo, in his speech thanked members of the Board of Trustees for their unwavering support. “Likewise, I thank the Executives Council members specially for being a wonderful family through and through. It is my utmost desire that this tradition be sustained and even improved upon.”

Listing achievements of his exco, Ajufo said these includes issues with membership; rate cards; research; OAAN Book; Health Safety Manual; Women in Out Of Home(WOHAN); OOH Conference and Awards, engagement with signage agencies, industry/stakeholders relationship; members welfare, among others.

He stated further that the management of the Association is a continuum. “The next leadership should continue from where we have stopped. Luckily for us, most of those that will take over from us have been part of most of what we did in the last four years, so continuing from where we stopped shouldn’t be a problem.

Ajufo therefore urged members of the association to support the new executive. “I have had a wonderful time serving the Association in the last four years. In fact the service was made easy because of your wonderful support.

“I ask that you extend even more support to the incoming administration as all hands must be on deck now, more than ever before,” he added.

Mr. Ajufo appealed to the Federal Government for support and interventions, saying, “Our members are groaning from the economic situation that we are in. We are only in business when our clients are doing well. We all know that it is not well with them now but we are hopeful they will bounce back”.

In his acceptance speech the new president, Mr. Sola Akinsiku said he is prepared to continue from where the immediate past administration stopped following the footsteps of the outgoing president, Chief Emmanuel Ajufo and using the existing pillars and platforms that have been put in place.

Aligning with the AGM’s theme, “The Economic Outlook in a Transition Year,” Mr. Akinsiku emphasized that the new executive council’s focus is to provide innovative solutions to help the members sustain their businesses in the current challenging economic climate of Nigeria. He called on the government at all levels to address issues of multiple taxation for the association to continue thriving as a business and employer of labour.

Akinsiku, the immediate past general secretary of OAAN and the 55th president of Rotary Club of Ikeja (District 9110) for the 2022/2023 rotary year. as well as a fellow of the advertising profession (frpa) said the new executive will work on continuous and constructive engagements with clients, the signage agencies and other critical stakeholders on issues critical to the success and the profitability of members businesses.

“There is also the issue of our academy. We will work it out and bring it to full fruition. I belief that we really deserve to have our own platform to continue to groom and grow the capacity and the capability of our workforce. It will ultimately enhance our output and impact on the productivity of our clients.”

He also harped on continued commitment to the promotion of the welfare and the wellbeing of both the member companies and of the workforce at all levels.

In his presentation on the theme, “The Economic Outlook in a Transition Year,” Engr. Dozie Mbanefo underscored the significant role of the sector in driving economic development. While recognizing the hurdles presented by soaring operational expenses and inflation, he lauded practitioners for their steadfastness and determination.

Mbanefo pointed out that the installation of electronic boards is a significant investment, and he disagreed with the government’s approach to taxing properties compared to billboards. He called on the new executive council to engage in dialogue with the government to address taxation issues and alleviate the hardship on practitioners.

“The cost of doing business in terms of maintenance, government fees, taxes, cost of power and security has taken a major drive upward but your prices have remained the same for the last 10 years. The location of your billboards is treated with temporary permits and because of this, you can leverage it to grow your business. You cannot finance your business with your assets. On top of this, you guys pay for vacant billboards to these agencies” he said.

The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ejiro Jamani, represented by Mrs. Briggs Vivian, the director of the Department of Climate Change, assured OAAN of the Delta State government’s support in creating a favorable business environment.

Notable attendees at the event included Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), represented by Ms Martha Onyebuchi, Director Regulation, Osamede Uwubanmwen, President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) and Eki Adzufeh, Executive Secretary of the Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN).