Abia State Structures for Signage and Advertisement Agency, ABSSAA, has concluded integrity testing of all high-rise billboards and outdoor advertising structures in all parts of the state.

The measure, according to the agency, is to ensure structural integrity, durability of materials, stability, load resistance, installation quality, and overall safety conditions, in line with international outdoor media safety standards.

The conclusion of the integrity test comes one week after ABSSAA facilitated the payment of more than N20 million in compensation to the victims of a billboard that collapsed in Aba on May 28, 2025.

Speaking on the concluded structural test, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mrs Victoria Onwubiko, said there would be direct engagement with billboard owners and outdoor media operators to review the findings, adding that there would be advice on required reinforcement or replacement of weak structures.

Mrs Onwubiko explained that immediate remedial actions would be taken on structures found to be weak, unsafe, poorly installed, weather-compromised, or no longer fit for public exposure, to prevent future accidents.

She noted that the state government had adopted a preventive, science-based, and safety-first approach to outdoor advertising regulation, stressing that the safety of Abia’s public cannot be compromised or negotiated.

“Public safety is not negotiable, and any structure that poses potential danger will not be allowed to remain”, Mrs Onwubiko declared.