Abuja’s outdoor advertising sector faces new uncertainty after the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), through the Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), ordered a halt to all billboard installations deemed illegal or outside the city’s Development Control standards.
The directive, targeting new projects, follows a DOAS compliance review to enforce approved structural and spatial guidelines. Only structures meeting technical requirements will continue.
While the FCTA says the action is vital for order, industry players warn it could hit the multi-billion-naira sector hard, threatening up to 5,000 jobs. Some likened it to past crackdowns that caused major financial losses and abrupt billboard removals.
The Out of Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) urged fair enforcement and called on operators to ensure full compliance to protect legitimate businesses from undue disruption.
