Marketing communications writers decry prolonged APCON leadership vacuum

Integrated marketing communications writers, under the aegis of Brand Journalists’ Association of Nigeria (BJAN), have decried the prolonged leadership vacuum in the Advertising Practitioners’ Council of Nigeria (APCON), saying such is capable of stunting the growth of the nation’s integrated marketing communications industry.

While urging the Federal Government to make re-constituting the body’s Council its top priority this year, the association, in a statement, argued that this had become necessary in order to save the advertising industry from imminent collapse.

Following the dissolution of the Udeme Ufot-led council, by the incumbent Information Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the industry’s apex regulatory body has been without a council for close to two years.

“The body noted that while a sub-committee is put in place by APCON to make recommendations for  online monitoring and regulations, the committee has remained redundant because it lacks power to go after anyone that fails to vet their online ads before exposure.

“As it is right now, both APCON and FG are losing money because nobody brings an online advert to APCON for vetting; APCON sub-committee lacks the power to go to any online to vet their adverts, because there is no council.

“And when the council is not there, business, our industry actually suffers over exposure,” the statement read.

BJAN also noted that the absence of APCON council has unfortunately been aiding the unregulated influx of foreign agencies into the country a situation that is not healthy for the industry.