Lekan Fadolapo

 

The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), has said though  its Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP), one of its reform tools, has recorded over 75 percent compliance since its introduction in Year 2022, it would still go after violators to ensure full compliance.

 

 

The Council’s Director General, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo,  stated this at a media session in Lagos.

 

 

He stated that despite the overwhelming acceptance of the reform, as evident in the number of those that had so far complied, the council is determined to go after violators since the number of non-compliance remains too significant to be ignored.

 

 

While reiterating the council’s commitment to going the whole hog in sanitising the industry, the ARCON boss stated that the council would soon go after the violators of AISOP to ensure a full compliance.

 

 

He stated that the various reforms, embarked upon by the council, had become imperative to enable the industry occupy its pride of place on the global advertising space.

 

 

Speaking on the recent judgment, reaffirming the agency’s power to regulate advertising, advertisement and marketing communications in Nigeria, Fadolapo believed the pronouncement has further put the council in good stead to carry out its statutory duties.

 

 

He also seized the opportunity of the occasion to debunk the misconception being spewed from some quarters, accusing the agency of attempts at regulating the digital space.

 

 

Fadolapo argued that the agency is not in any way interested in regulating contents on the digital space, but will only perform its duties if such contents are promotional.

 

 

“ARCON is not interested in regulation your contents on the social media. For instance, if you operate an Instagram Handle, and we discovered it is locked, and not accessible to the public, we don’t have an issue with that. You can do whatever pleases you there. But if it is not locked, and we discover there are promotional materials that are unvetted, by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), that is where we’ll have issue with you.

 

 

“We can’t afford to fold out arms and watch  innocent Nigerians being deceived with promotional contents, with unsubstantiated claims on the social media,” he stated.

 

On whether the agency has the capacity to regulate advertising on the digital space, the ARCON boss stated that  in addition to  having the personnel and technology to handle such tasks, the agency is not relenting on its oars.

 

 

“We are embarking on capacity building for our personnel, expanding our reach by increasing the number of our outlets, across the country, and partnering with the relevant agencies,” he stated.

 

 

Meanwhile, the agency has vowed to investigate a petition against Emerging Telecommunications Services, trading as 9Mobile, relating to an ‘overdue indebtedness of N1billion for advertising services.

 

 

Fadolapo, in a separate release, issued over the weekend, stated that the telecoms company was alleged to have refused to pay or resolve its indebtedness to the agencies, and has briefed other agencies to continue its advertising and advertisements business.

 

 

“ARCON will investigate the movement of the account from the agencies owed, to the new agencies briefed, to ascertain compliance with disengagement protocol, as well as possible breach of ethical procedure,” he stated.

 

 

Describing the development as economic sabotage, capable of inhibiting the policy of inclusive industry growth, the ARCON boss insisted that the payment threshold in the nation’s ecosystem still remains 45 days, adding that the council will take all necessary actions to eradicate unfair, unethical competition and inequitable policies between relevant stakeholders on the nation’s advertising industry,  and ensuring adherence to payment threshold industry credit policy, among others.