ARCON refutes unilateral decision claims on AISOP
By Oghale Mafuru
Amid varied reactions over the new advertising law and the Advertising Industry Standards of Practice, AISOP, the apex advertising regulatory agency has refuted claims that the regulatory frameworks were unilaterally instituted by the Council without due consultations with relevant stakeholders in the industry.
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON made this rebuttal in a statement where it restated its unflinching commitment to eradicating practices that are inimical to the growth of the industry as well as institute appropriate sanctions against violators in accordance with the law.
It said: “The ARCON law is an act of the National Assembly that took into cognizance, input from all stakeholders and the public. The Public Hearing was done at the National Assembly, and all stakeholders attended. ADVAN was in attendance and made submissions orally and in writing.
“The President of ADVAN lied that they made no input or submission on the law. It is surprising to hear ADVAN Complain they were not engaged. The record is there for everyone to see. ADVAN Currently has 2 representatives on the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), ADVAN had a representative on the AISOP Committee that worked on the Advertising Industry Standard of Practice, ADVAN had a representative on the Nigerian Advertising Code Review Committee, Fellowship Committee, National Advertising Conference Committee to mention but few”.
The regulatory agency stated that it will not tolerate unfair practices perpetuated by some advertisers with regards to payment and disengagement policies while maintaining that the local content policy is geared to stimulate national growth through talent optimization.
“The attitude of some companies that crave for imported advertisement has led to loss of jobs in the industry, with Over N120b loss by Nigerian companies in revenue annually. We cannot allow this to continue”.
The apex advertising body reiterated its determination to ensure strict adherence to the advertising law and ethical standards of the profession irrespective of contrary positions as all regulatory frameworks are geared to reposition the industry for growth.
Recall that the Advertisers Association of Nigeria, ADVAN had alleged that sections of the advertising law is in dissonance with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria especially on the freedom to enter into contractual agreement with agencies and the media.
In a document to inform the agency of its intention to commence legal actions against it, the advertisers body requested the interpretations of sections of the law where it also expressed concerns over the payment timeline and disengagement policy.
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