Lagos Denies N700m Billboard Fee Hike

​The Lagos State Government has firmly dismissed viral social media claims alleging that outdoor advertising permit fees have skyrocketed to ₦700 million, denouncing the reports as baseless, malicious, and politically motivated.

​Addressing the controversy in a statement on Sunday, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, labeled the rumor a deliberate attempt by mischievous political actors and online commentators to smear the administration’s reputation.

​”This is a lie; a piece of fake news meant to tarnish the image of the government by mischievous politicians and their social media bullies,” Omotoso stated, urging the public to disregard the misinformation. He clarified that the state government neither owns nor operates commercial billboards, noting that even the most expensive private advertising structures top out at roughly ₦10 million monthly.

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​Echoing these clarifications, the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) emphasized that its role is strictly regulatory. LASAA explained that applicable statutory permit fees vary by zone and are determined by the size, format, and location of individual structures, entirely separate from commercial media placement and production costs charged by private practitioners.

​The regulatory body further clarified that practitioners seeking to operate within the state must pay a one-off, non-refundable registration fee of ₦7 million alongside mandatory registration with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON).

​As political activities build momentum, LASAA reassured stakeholders of its commitment to maintaining a level playing field. The agency stressed that all campaign materials must comply with established safety and environmental standards, adding that it will oversee the post-election removal of political signage at no cost to the public to preserve Lagos’s aesthetic standards.