APCON vetted 11 000, rejected 16, 981 ads in 2021
By Oghale Mafuru
The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON the regulatory agency for the advertising business and practice in Nigeria has disclosed that a total number of 10,907 advertisements were vetted in 2021. These are advertisements that met all stipulated vetting requirements for the year ended 2021.
According to information obtained from the registry, a total number of 16, 981 adverts were not vetted across the country from January to December 2021 thus bringing the total number of adverts brought before the Council in 2021 to 27, 888.
Speaking on the rejected advertisements, Registrar of APCON, Dr. Lekan Fadolapo stated that the adverts were rejected because they fail to satisfy the specific requirements necessary for approval.
As part of efforts to ensure strict adherence to ethical practices in the advertising industry, the Registrar of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, (APCON), Dr. Lekan Fadolapo hinted that the agency will introduce a new vetting regime effective from April 1, 2022.
“APCON is committed to providing every advertising practitioner with a conducive business and professional environment to ensure that the practice and business of advertising in Nigeria are conducted ethically without compromising best practices.”
According to him, the new vetting regime will address the problem of quackery in the industry as stringent regulations will be enforced.
He said: “The Corporate License Regime of APCON has been strengthened to make sure that we reduce the encroachment of non-registered professionals in the business space of advertising and marketing communications in Nigeria. In the same light, APCON has intensified efforts to monitor and enforce compliance by licensed advertisement organisations”.
The Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) which is charged with the duty of ensuring that advertisements conform to the prevailing laws of the Federation as well as the Code of advertising ethics of the advertising profession states that “All advertisements shall be legal, decent, honest, truthful, respectful and mindful of Nigeria’s culture. They shall be prepared with a high sense of social responsibility and shall avoid misinformation. All advertisements shall conform to the principle of fair competition generally accepted in business, and of fair comments expected in free human communication. They shall aim at enhancing public confidence in advertising and shall always be in the interest of the consumer and the wider Nigerian society”.
It is an offense to cause to be aired or published in the print; advertisements which have not been approved by the ASP. Such offenses attract very stiff sanctions y the industry regulator.
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