…to engage owners
Abia Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency (ABSSAA) has concluded its statewide integrity testing of all high-rise billboards and outdoor advertising structures.
This is a move to ensure public safety, strengthen environmental order, and prevent future billboard collapse.
The assessment focused on structural integrity, durability of materials, stability, load resistance, installation quality, and overall safety conditions, rather than documentation alone, in line with international outdoor media safety standards.
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With the technical testing now completed, ABSSAA will begin direct engagement with billboard owners and outdoor media operators to review findings, advise on required reinforcement or replacement, and verify ownership and installation responsibility.
Where any structure is found to be weak, unsafe, poorly installed, weather-compromised, or no longer fit for public exposure, the Agency will ensure that immediate remedial action is taken to prevent accidents or loss of life.
Victoria Onwubiko, managing director/chief executive officer, ABSSAA, stated that Abia Government had adopted a preventive, science-based, and safety-first approach to outdoor advertising regulation, stresssing that public safety is not negotiable, and any structure that poses potential danger will not be allowed to remain.
She called for full cooperation from billboard owners, installers, and advertising companies, noting that compliance is now mandatory for continued operation in the State.
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Onwubiko affirmed that Abia State Government is committed to promoting outdoor advertising that enhances business visibility, urban aesthetics, and environmental order without endangering human life or property.
Recall that on May 29, 2025, a huge billboard collapsed after heavy rain at Salad Market, in the Government Reserved Area (GRA), of Aba North Local Government Area, which caused the death of one person and injured 8 others.
The accident was attributed to a structural defect, prompting ABSSAA’s insistence that government engineers would henceforth supervise erection of all billboards in the State.
