Raheem Akingbolu
As Nigeria approaches another election cycle, attention is once again turning to the policies, regulatory decisions and commercial practices that shape access to out-of-home advertising platforms.
The issue came into focus at the 41st Annual General Meeting of the Out-of-Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where industry leaders examined fairness, ethics and regulatory consistency in political advertising.
Election seasons have long provided a commercial boost for outdoor advertising, with candidates competing for visibility across strategic locations. Yet, beneath the opportunity lie recurring questions about regulation, pricing, access and the uneasy relationship between politics and advertising oversight.
Against this backdrop, OAAN adopted “OOH Media in Political Campaign Season: Policies, Politics, and Fair Practice” as the theme of its 41st AGM. The choice signalled a determination to look beyond revenue and place professional conduct at the centre of discussion.
In his opening remarks, OAAN President, Chief ’Sola Akinsiku, stressed the implications of the approaching political season. He urged practitioners to uphold “fairness, excellence and ethical considerations at all times,” particularly during periods of heightened political communication.
For Akinsiku, the election season is not simply another commercial window. It is also a test of professional integrity, requiring practitioners to remain within the bounds of decency and legality. He believes that emphasis on standards should help move the industry beyond transactions towards transformation.
The keynote address by High Chief Dr. Theodore Okwu Ejike (T.O.E.) Ekechi shifted attention to the regulatory environment. He examined how policies, institutions and political considerations affect OOH practice, particularly during election periods.
Ekechi argued that Nigeria’s challenge is not the absence of laws but the multiplicity and overlap of existing rules. Federal regulation of standards and content sits alongside local government responsibilities and interventions by state signage and planning authorities, creating contradictions and inconsistencies.
These complications, he warned, become sharper during political competition. He questioned prohibitive permit fees and inconsistent enforcement, noting that restrictions on access to platforms undermine both business and fair political contest. “Every democracy depends on fair competition,” he said. “Elections should be contests of ideas rather than contests of unequal access to communication channels.”
Ekechi stressed that his position was not against regulation. Nigeria already has laws covering advertising practice, campaigns, public safety and professional conduct. What the industry needs, he said, is predictability and consistency, not new rules introduced mid-cycle.
The demand for fairness also returned attention to the industry itself. Ekechi urged OAAN to strengthen corporate governance and self-regulation in pricing, inventory allocation, contract administration and equal access. Political neutrality, he maintained, is one of the Association’s greatest assets.
That argument also gave added relevance to OAAN’s longstanding pursuit of chartered status. Akinsiku has presented the Charter as central to professional advancement, while Ekechi sees it as a tool for stronger self-regulation and engagement with regulatory authorities. Until that goal is achieved, he urged deeper stakeholder dialogue, noting that “the challenge is often not the absence of policy but wrongful, selective and inconsistent implementations.”
On this point, the positions of the two industry leaders largely converged. Regulators must provide impartial rules, while practitioners must uphold professionalism and neutrality. That balance becomes particularly important during elections, when political interests, commercial considerations and regulatory powers converge on the same advertising spaces.
The Abeokuta conversation therefore looked beyond 2027 as another profitable season for political advertising. It raised a more fundamental question about whether policy, politics and professional practice can coexist without compromising fair access. As Ekechi observed, history will judge not only politicians but also the institutions through which “democracy speaks or is muted.” For OAAN, ensuring fairness and consistency may prove a defining challenge as the next election cycle gathers momentum.
