The Out of Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), has honoured Dr Babagana Adam, for sanitising outdoor advertising in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Adam was the Director, Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), from May 2019 to March 2024 when he was appointed Permanent Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCT Administration.
The National President of the association, Mr Sola Akinsiku, said during the award ceremony and dinner in Abuja on Saturday, that Adam was honoured for outstanding and exemplary leadership in outdoor advertising.
‘Since the creation of DOAS, I think we have about three to four directors, but he merited the award; he brought professionalism; he brought truthfulness; and he brought dignity to the profession.
‘We started with a fight and had to report him to the National Assembly. We stood our grounds; he stood his ground.
‘In the course of time, he understood us better, and we later found out that some of the decisions he took were a
lso helpful to the promotion of outdoor advertising in FCT,’ he said.
He added that Adam was also honoured because he did not abuse power.
‘He is hard working, works under pressure and delivers. If he disagrees with you, you will know why he disagrees with you,’ he said.
Mr Emmanuel Ajufo, the immediate past President of the association and Chairman, Dinner and Award Organising Committee, said that Adam changed the landscape of outdoor advertising and made the business better.
‘When he came in as head of DOAS, all manner of people who are not professionals were putting up billboards indiscriminately.
‘He reordered that process and brought some sanity to the industry. That alone, is a wonderful thing for us. He is very firm but fair to everybody.
‘We need people like him in the industry, in fact, in this country for us to move forward. Everything is not about money, integrity is very very critical, and the man is filled with integrity.
‘What we have done is just to reward hard work and to use him as an
example to others,’ Ajufo said.
Similarly, the Chairman of OAAN, North Central and Abuja, Mr Haruna Ahmed, said that Adam helped to standardise the practice of the profession in the FCT.
‘When somebody does something that everybody adjudged to be good and the person leaves the stage, it is good to honour that person,’ Ahmed added.
Also, the acting Chairman, FCT Internal Revenue Service, Mr Haruna Abdullahi, described the awardee as a man with a passion for public service.
Responding, Adam, said it was the second time that the association had honoured him, and expressed joy and gratitude for the recognition.
He described the award as a validation, appreciation, and acknowledgement of an excellent and beneficial working relation between DOAS and the association.
‘So, it tells you: treat people nicely and they will treat you better. I was a regulator; I was hard on them, but I also understood their challenges and was helpful to them.
‘We have removed illegal billboards in FCT, we cleaned the city and made
tremendous progress in making the city look beautiful.
‘Cities are like sitting rooms. If you keep them clean and you remove all nuisance, they will look beautiful,’ he said.
Source: News Agency of Nigeria