The Ondo State Signage and Advertisement Agency (OSSAA) has doubled down on its position in the ongoing dispute with Pastor John Kollyns, insisting that compliance issues must be addressed through due process rather than public sentiment.
Speaking with Roving Reporters in an interview on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Signage and Advertisement, Yomi Oyekan, maintained that the matter should not be viewed through religious or emotional lenses but strictly as a regulatory issue between a government agency and a signage stakeholder.
“People are not looking at it from the angle of harassment. They are looking at it from the angle of, he’s a pastor and people like him in Akure. It is simple. It is very simple,” Oyekan said.
He explained that the agency’s standard procedure when a structure is suspected to be non-compliant is to place a legal notice sticker on the signage, after which the owner is expected to visit the agency’s office with relevant documents for clarification.
“Signage will not come and remove your board without notice. We only put a legal sticker, then you come to the agency and clear yourself,” he stated.
Oyekan questioned why Pastor Kollyns allegedly confronted officers in the field rather than formally engaging the agency.
“Your job is not to approach the officials doing their job, because they are not doing their personal job. Approach the agency. If you saw a sticker on your board, come and clear yourself,” he said.
He further alleged that the situation became confrontational unnecessarily.
“Why did you go confrontational in the first place? That’s the question. Why did you engage government staff? These staff are just staff of the agency sent to do their jobs,” he added.
On the claim that the signage structure had existed for several years, Oyekan said the appropriate response was simple: provide documentary evidence.
“If you are claiming it has been there for years, bring the approval now. This is a public document. Provide evidence of the permits used to erect that structure,” he said.
According to him, if valid approval documents are presented, the agency would not hesitate to take responsibility.
“The agency would do an open apology and even compensate, if you bring us the evidence of approval. It is simple,” he declared.
Oyekan also rejected attempts to frame the issue around the cleric’s religious status.
“I’m tired of using the angle of pastor. This is signage, a government agency, versus a signage stakeholder. I am not having any business with his church,” he said.
He emphasized that OSSAA does not target individuals arbitrarily, explaining that the agency only regulates entities with visible signage.
“If you have a business and you don’t put your name outside, I won’t collect signage from you. If you are not our stakeholder, we don’t have business with you,” he explained.
Oyekan concluded that as a leader, he could not ignore alleged obstruction of his staff.
“I would be a failure as a leader if my staff were harassed and I kept quiet because of public sentiment,” he said.
The agency reiterated that its doors remain open for formal engagement and administrative review, stressing that compliance matters must be resolved through lawful channels rather than confrontation.
