The Lagos State Government has dismissed claims that it increased billboard permit fees to N700m, describing the allegation as false and insisting that the most expensive billboard advertisement in the state costs about N10m monthly.

The government said billboards were owned and operated by private practitioners, while the Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency only regulated outdoor advertising and did not determine the commercial rates charged by billboard owners.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday in response to a social media post alleging that the purported fee increase explained the absence of National Democratic Congress campaign materials on Lagos roads.

The post had stated, “That is why you hardly see NDC on Lagos roads,” following a claim by the Director-General of the NDC Presidential Campaign Council, Ibrahim Abdulkarim, who stated that Lagos was charging “almost N700 million” for a license to erect a political billboard.

Speaking during an interview on Nigeria Info FM 99.3 on November 13, Abdulkarim linked the cost to the party’s limited outdoor visibility ahead of the 2027 general elections and said the NDC had decided to rely more on grassroots efforts, adding: “We now decided, let us be our own billboard.”

Dismissing the claim, Omotoso said, “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,” adding, “Billboards are owned by private operators.

The most expensive billboard is about N10million monthly. The government does not run billboards. The Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency (LASAA) is only a regulator, not an operator.”

He explained that the fees payable to LASAA were separate from the commercial costs of media placement, production and other advertising services provided by registered outdoor advertising practitioners, noting that applicable regulatory fees for billboard owners varied according to the size, format and location of advertising structures, with different rates applying across designated zones.

The commissioner also said anyone seeking to practise as an outdoor advertising practitioner in Lagos State was required to pay a non-refundable, one-off fee of N7m, register with the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and fulfil other statutory requirements, while political campaign materials must be displayed on approved structures operated by registered practitioners with valid LASAA permits.