P3 Inventor Sends SOS to Makinde over Threat to Life

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The inventor of the Portrait Pole Post (P3), Mr. Abiodun David Fasogbon, has raised the alarm over violent attacks on his business and threat to eliminate him by those he said were out to suppress the legitimate ‘Outdoor Out of Home (OOH)’ advertising practitioners in Oyo State.

Fasogbon, the Chief Executive Officer of Fizzie Republic, which owns the right of P3 after registration with the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC), while speaking with journalists in Ibadan yesterday, said miscreants armed with dangerous weapons are going about the city of Ibadan in the night, removing his advertisement boards placed on electric poles.

He expressed surprise over such action because his firm is duly registered with the Oyo State Advertising Agency (OYSAA), the body instituted by the government to oversee and regulate the advertising business, and had paid the mandatory annual fees to OYSAA.

According to him, “We paid millions of naira in the last contract, and the new contract just started, and we have also paid N500,000 on November 2. Our contract is renewable, and we have the first right of refusal, but going in the middle of the night to attack billboards is not professional. “When we inquired, OYSAA said it was a consultant to the government that is behind this dastardly act. If they are not evil, why are they removing paid advert at night? While questioning OYSAA, they said it is a directive from the state Governor, Seyi Makinde, but I don’t think in my own estimation that the governor gave such order. We will appreciate Makinde to clear the air on this.”

He added that his firm has greatly contributed to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state by making use of almost 48 per cent of the total electric poles in Ibadan during the last administration, and has done N15 million worth of free advertisement since the inception of the Governor Makinde’s administration in line with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy of his firm.

The firm CEO said: “We are the one that sponsored signposts with inscriptions such as: ‘Security of the State is a collective responsibility, ‘Play your part’, ‘Invest in solid minerals to increase our internal revenue’, with some written in mother tongue placed on advertising boards attached to electric poles in Ibadan metropolis.

“This gesture was in line with the CSR policy of our firm, which is essentially most favourable towards correcting wrong notions about Makinde’s administration and sensitising the public.

“I believe the main plan of this people is for me to remove and discontinue the Makinde’s job that I did and go to the court with the state government, but their action will not force me to do that, and that is why am calling on the governor to save my life from these desperate people who are out to ruin my business.

“Our firm has fully refunded the affected clients, which include Foodco, Nexgen, Chicken and Co, and Rhetorix which are all indigenous brands.”