By Matthew Denis
The pioneer General Manager of Kwara State Signage and Advertising Agency (KWASAA), Alhaji Ahmed Olufadi has said the major challenges that has affected operations of the agency are logistics and non existence of a permanent structure.
He stated this during an interview with Pilot Business, adding that the challenges have posed problem towards revenue generation by the agency.
The GM said, “The major achievement we have recorded since the inception of the agency is an improvement in revenue generation from averagely N10millions to N44 million despite the fact that the we are confronted with the challenges of logistics and operational vehicles.
“Though I came in from the private sector without requisite knowledge on advert practices, regulations and revenue derivation from billboards and signposts. But I was able to undergo training and got accustomed to the agency’s activities within a short period of time.
“We began by overhauling the system and gave it a face-lift. We attracted outdoors investment to the state and we are still attracting outdoors infrastructure to the state, ” he further said.
Olufadi stressed that his major regret was the inability to put up a permanent structure for the agency.
“When corporate organisations and individuals visit us and perhaps want to pay their bills in millions, but with the outlook of our office they get discouraged as business is about packaging.
“The agency doesn’t have permanent staff who have the technical know-how about the operational components of advertising and signage and to add value into the system.
“This becomes a problem in terms of succession, though the overnor appoints the General Manager for the agency but there should be a laid down hierarchy to make transition and operations of the agency easier.
“We don’t have operational vehicles to cover the entire state. Our activities are limited to Kwara central due to lack of vehicles. If the agency have enough logistics its revenue derivation will be greater running into billions of naira more than what we are doing now.
“Another aspect is to establish area offices in all Local Government Areas to maximize the advantage of reach to generates revenue for the state government. We needs more bills and signposts because its inadequacy is paralysing activities of KWASAA,” he appealed.
The KWASAA boss further said that providing the agency with operational vehicles like two hilux, more motorcycles to penetrate into areas that are unreachable by cars will boost revenue generation into the state coffers.
