THE apex regulatory body in the nation’s advertising space, the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), has announced plans to remove names of practitioners who failed to pay, for five years, the prescribed practice fees, in accordance with their category of membership.
The agency, in a notice titled: ‘Removal/Suspension of Names from the Register of Advertising Practitioners,’ and signed by its Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo, stated that the decision, which takes effect from Friday, December 17, 2021, is in line with Section 9(2)(d) and (e) of the Advertising Practitioners (Registration Etc) Act, CAP A7, L.F.N. 2004.
The regulatory body also stated that registered advertising practitioners yet to pay the fees prescribed for their categories in accordance with the provisions of the Act for the past 2 (two) to 5 (five) years from the 1st December 2021 would first have their membership of the profession suspended.
It stated further that any person whose name has been removed from the register, and seeks to be readmitted, would have to present a new application for membership, and pass through a new membership process, upon payment of all outstanding fees.
“A suspended member will have a period of one year moratorium from the date of suspension within which to pay all outstanding fees or have his/her name removed from the register,” the agency stated.
While calling on all registered members of the profession to update their records and pay the prescribed practice fees, on or before Friday 17th day of December 2021, the agency promised to make available updated list of qualified registered advertising practitioners, from today, Monday, January 6, 2022.
Meanwhile, the apex regulatory body has also announced the approval of the 6th edition of the Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice, Sales Promotion and other Rights/Restriction on Practice by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
The new Code, the agency said, took effect on December 1, this year, following the expiration of the 5th edition of the Code, on November 30, 2021.
The regulatory body assured practitioners and stakeholders that 6th Code had, as much as possible, satisfactorily addressed the identified gaps, not adequately covered, or had in the course of time and evolution of technology, arisen, thereby creating challenges in the implementation of the 5th edition of the Code.
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