AISOP: ADVAN’s rejection, gang-up against FG’s inclusive growth policy —APCON

The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has described the recent rejection of the newly launched Advertising Industry Standard of Practice (AISOP), the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN), as a gang-up by a few multinationals and conglomerates against federal government’s policy of inclusive growth in the SMEs and the nation’s economy.

The body of advertisers had, recently, raised its objection to the new rules of engagement, describing it as an unconstitutional attempt at infringing on the rights of private entities to determine their contractual terms.

But, the apex regulatory agency, in a statement signed by its Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, argued that maintaining such stand against AISOP, could be taken to mean that the association actually wanted the current challenges plaguing the industry  to continue.

According to him, the new AISOP had become imperative to effectively tackle the numerous challenges facing the industry.

Besides, he noted, the recently-launched AISOP is in line with the Federal Government’s reformative plans aimed at accelerating the pace of economic recovery, post pandemic era; enhance gainful employment, attract talents and investment to the industry as well as overhaul the business regulatory framework of the nation’s advertising industry.

The agency, however expressed delight that despite  the association’s stand, some business-friendly multinationals and conglomerates had been  ‘incredibly supportive’ of service providers in the advertising ecosystem with pro-enterprise engagement terms, rewarding remuneration system, payment cycle, among others.

“Their policies are even better than what is being proposed by AISOP as Industry minimum operating standard,” he added.

The APCON Registrar argued that when fully in place, the Advertising Industry reform had the capacity of creating over 100,000 jobs in the sector in the first 12 months of implementation, improve salary payment to employees in the industry, attract more talents and investments, as well as reposition the advertising industry in Nigeria for growth.

Fadolapo reiterated the agency’s commitment to constantly improving the practice and business of advertising in Nigeria, while insisting that the regulatory agency would always welcome productive ideas, capable of delivering the best of conducive business environment in line with her establishment Act, Federal Government policies and public interest.