We won’t bend to threats at demeaning advertising industry

The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), has said that it will take all necessary legal steps to sanitise the nation’s advertising space as the industry regulator and not succumb to threats. NIGERIAN TRIBUNE reports.Information Guide Nigeria

The regulatory body, in a statement signed by its Head, Corporate Affairs, Winifred Akpan, added that its latest series of reforms are not attempts at strangulating advertising as claimed in some quarters but designed to protect the interests of stakeholders, and check revenue hemorrhage, especially the annual loss of over N120b to foreign models.

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In recent times, the apex regulatory body has been at daggers drawn with the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), over some of its new policy thrusts.

For instance, ADVAN had criticised its decision to set up the Advertising Industry Standards of Practice, (AISOP), immediately after its unveiling last year, claiming the document never had the inputs of all stakeholders in the industry.

“We are not opposed to reforms. But we believe those that will be affected by such policy should be fully involved,” ADVAN President, Mr. Osamede Uwubanmwen had told members of the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria at the end-of-the-year party, organised by his association for BJAN, last year.JAMB Result

Another such scathing criticisms from ADVAN is the idea of the newly inaugurated Advertising Offences Tribunal, which the association described as dictatorial, and a way of muzzling stakeholders in the industry.

But ARCON in the statement had insisted all the reforms, embarked on are aimed at repositioning the industry and make it globally competitive.

The regulatory body described as untrue the claim by ADVAN that its members were not part of the process that birthed AISOP, stating that the association actually had a representative on the AISOP Committee that worked on the document.

“For record purposes, ADVAN had a representative on the AISOP Committee that worked on the Advertising Industry Standards of Practice; ADVAN had a representative on the Nigerian Advertising Code Review Committee; Fellowship Committee, and National Advertising Conference Committee to mention but a few,” the agency stated.NYSC Portal

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