We removed Kawu’s billboards for violating advertising rules

…says one was erected on a public road, another mounted on government water facility

The Kwara State Government has said it removed two campaign billboards belonging to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Engr. Suleiman BolaKale Kawu, in Ilorin over alleged violations of advertising regulations and the use of public infrastructure without approval.

The Kwara State Signage and Advertisement Agency (KWASAA) said one of the affected billboards was located at Adabata Junction, where it alleged that a portion of a newly constructed road was dug to erect the structure, while the other was mounted on a public motorised borehole at Bata Shop, Agaka.

The agency’s General Manager, Toba Adeyeye, who led the enforcement team on Wednesday, said the exercise followed complaints from members of the public.

Adeyeye described the alleged excavation of the road for the billboard as irresponsible, stressing that the road was public infrastructure constructed with taxpayers’ money.

“We just left Adabata Junction, where we discovered that the road was actually dug. A newly constructed road was dug for the placement of a billboard. It is totally unhealthy and unbelievable,” he told reporters during the enforcement exercise.

He said KWASAA was also concerned about the billboard mounted on the public water facility at Agaka, saying political parties and individuals must obtain approval before using government infrastructure for advertising purposes.

“It’s a government property. It’s public infrastructure. If you need to do any form of advertisement or campaign or any sort, like you need a government infrastructure to do that purpose, you need to first of all seek an approval from the relevant agencies,” Adeyeye said.

He explained that KWASAA works with the Ministry of Water Resources, which he identified as the owner of the water facility, and that approval was required before such infrastructure could be used for advertising.

Adeyeye rejected allegations that the enforcement was targeted at the opposition, saying the agency applied its regulations irrespective of political affiliation.

“We are not really partisan, but we will do our job, no matter the party involved, no matter the candidate involved. The most important thing for us at KWASAA is Kwara. Kwara comes first, no matter the party, no matter the candidate,” he said.

He added that the agency had previously removed campaign materials belonging to members of the ruling party during the party’s primary elections after similar violations were identified.

According to him, other PDP billboards across Ilorin were not affected because the agency’s action was based on specific violations rather than the party or candidate involved.

The KWASAA boss said the agency had also embarked on public awareness campaigns and recently held a stakeholders’ engagement on political advertising rules.

“This exercise is a continuous thing. People violate almost every day, especially this season. But we are just using this medium to also tell the people that we are not against any political party or any candidate. What we just want is that, let’s do things in order,” he said.

The enforcement followed a statement by the Kwara PDP accusing the state government of removing its billboards because of the party’s growing visibility ahead of the 2027 elections.

The PDP had alleged that government agents were targeting its billboard at Agaka ahead of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s forthcoming turbanning ceremony, describing the action as political intimidation.

KWASAA, however, said the affected billboards were removed because of alleged violations of advertising and environmental regulations and the unauthorised use or destruction of public infrastructure.