NRSA to sue MMDAs for unlawful siting of billboards – Nsemkeka
The National Road Safety Authority (NSRA) will, in the coming days, sue Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region for the unlawful placement of billboards along roads.
This comes after the MMDAs failed to comply with the NRSA’s 21-day ultimatum directive for them to remove all unauthorised billboards and posters, particularly within road medians.
Abraham Amaliba, Acting Director-General of the NRSA, said they wanted to meet MMDAs to give them a grace period to remove all the illegal billboards in their jurisdiction after the 21-day ultimatum, but they failed to show up at a scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 29, to discuss the non-compliance with the directive
He said, due to their absence, they were going to sue them to enforce the law on unlawful billboards sited along roads in Ghana.
“Their failure to come means that they are not interested, so what we can do is to appear in court with them.”
“For now, we are proceeding on the basis that they have attended this programme, and we are going to proceed on the basis that we have met them, and so we are going to enforce the law,” he added.
Mr Amaliba said these billboards were making it difficult for motorists to see from afar.
Meanwhile, the NRSA in April gave MMDAs in the Greater Accra region a 21-day ultimatum to remove unauthorised billboards that pose a risk to motorists and pedestrians.
The Authority cited the increasing number of unregulated billboards, particularly those erected on road medians and near intersections, as an imposing safety concern.
According to the NRSA, many of these billboards obstruct drivers’ views and serve as distractions.