Ogun imposes N5m fine on fake mobile advert permit offenders

The Ogun State Signage and Advertising Agency has placed a fine of N5 million on anyone caught with fake mobile advert permits in the state.

The agency’s General Manager, Mr Fola Onifade, disclosed this at the unveiling of the 2025 mobile advert permit for the state held at the agency’s office in Abeokuta, the state capital on Wednesday.

Onifade said that just like Oyo and Lagos states, Ogun has also migrated from the printed stickers for the mobile advert permit to e-stickers, saying that this has greatly helped to reduce the incidence of counterfeiting and other activities aimed at sabotaging and shortchanging the government.

He said, “The emergence of e-stickers has greatly reduced the incidence of counterfeiting and the activities of the miscreants. We have been able to reduce the incidence of fake stickers and where this occurred, we were able to identify and deal with it immediately.

“Another challenge that we have also been able to overcome is getting stickers from other states. Some people bring stickers from other states to come and market here. We are ready to cooperate with states that have similar rates to our own but where there is a great discrepancy, we will feel that such effort is directed at swindling the state. We won’t allow it.

“Our rate is N13,500; some states charge as low as N6,500. It would be unfair to allow them to come and sell such in the state. We are ready to cooperate with states that charge similar rates like ours.”

For those who have perfected the act of faking these stickers, Onifade said, “Let me assure you that all hands are on the deck that you don’t succeed in this act of sabotage. The officers of the agency will be all out to check these sabotaging acts and ensure that such people are arrested and punished.

“In addition to daily enforcements, the agency will also carry out unannounced quarterly enforcement and anybody found wanting for non-compliance would be seriously sanctioned. The fine is N100,000, and when a fake sticker is found on your vehicle, the fine is N5m.”

Onifade pleaded for the cooperation and support of the companies and partners working with the agency to record another success story for the 2025 mobile advert permits.