The Lagos billboard dispute raises a question beyond ₦700 million: can voters distinguish government permit charges from commercial advertising prices?
The Lagos State Government says the allegation confuses regulatory fees with prices set by private billboard operators. But no current public schedule itemises every charge.
The allegation and the government’s response
Ibrahim Abdulkarim, Director-General of the NDC Presidential Campaign Council, reportedly said during a Nigeria Info FM interview on November 13 that a political billboard licence in Lagos could cost almost ₦700 million. He linked it to the party’s outdoor visibility and its reliance on grassroots mobilisation.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy Gbenga Omotoso rejected the claim on November 15. He said private operators, not the state, owned the billboards, and that the most expensive advertising space cost about ₦10 million monthly. He said the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) regulates the sector but does not set operators’ rental prices.
These are different measures: a purported licence fee and a monthly rental rate. The NDC’s reported remarks do not clarify whether ₦700 million refers to one structure, several locations or a campaign-wide arrangement. Without that scope and an itemised demand, the claim cannot be independently assessed.
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What the published tariff shows
LASAA’s downloadable rate card lists annual permit charges for third-party advertising structures by format, size and location. A 96-sheet billboard attracts ₦218,400 in a normal zone, ₦509,600 in a restrictive zone, ₦1.456 million on a high street and ₦3.64 million in an airport zone, per advertising side.
There is a qualification: although the PDF is hosted under a 2026 filename, its heading says the schedule is effective from January 2025. It cannot confirm every tariff applicable in November 2026. BusinessDay has also explained that permit fees are separate from commercial rental, printing, installation and maintenance costs.
The unanswered transparency question
The government also cited a one-off, non-refundable ₦7 million requirement for anyone seeking to operate as an outdoor advertising practitioner, alongside registration with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). That is not the same as a party renting billboard space or paying the annual permit for a structure.
New Telegraph reported a ₦500,000 application fee for billboard advertisements exceeding 15 square metres, plus a ₦10,000 site-inspection fee. These reported charges show why each amount must be identified by purpose and by who pays it.
Back Story: Why LASAA regulates billboards
LASAA’s rules empower it to control outdoor structures, issue permits, regulate their size and location, and enforce safety and environmental requirements. They also state that permits are renewed annually. Regulation helps manage public spaces; it is not the same as setting private rental prices.
The state should publish a current schedule separating application, inspection, annual permit and renewal charges. Private operators should disclose rental rates and what each package includes. The NDC should provide the quotation or calculation behind its ₦700 million claim.
Until then, the government’s denial is relevant, but its ₦10 million monthly estimate remains an official statement, not a market-wide price list. Clear records would help voters judge whether outdoor political advertising is accessible to smaller parties.
