The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) is set to clamp down on digital advertisers operating in Nigeria without license.
Speaking to newsmen on Monday, May 23, 2022, APCON Registrar/ Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo stated that in the bid to drastically reduce the unethical digital advert practices in Nigeria, the Corporate Licensing agency is making moves with the support of the Nigerian Police Force and the National Assembly to regulate the digital media space.
Dr Lekan’s said, “There is a lot going on in the digital media space and its high-time we make moves to regulate them. Following several petitions of activities of people operating in the digital media space, the National Assembly has passed a resolution directing APCON to take responsibility for the digital media space, not withstanding the ongoing APCON law review.
“With the increase of online media platforms, we have been faced with unethical, provocative advertising which has potential of inflaming religious crisis, moral dependence and misleading information with negative effect on the country, economy and value system.
“In view of this, the House of Representatives in Abuja has mandated APCON to regulate and effectively monitor all online media advertisement and ensure they conform with law guiding advertising in the federation”
He further emphasised that APCON has written to the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and officially has their support to arrest anyone who violates any session of the advertising law in Nigeria will be persecuted.
What You Should Know About APCON
In Nigeria, APCON is in charge of regulating the advert space and approving adverts for the promotion of products and services.
However, the regulator seems to have been losing advert fees and its authority to the tech companies as digital adverts become more popular. APCON, however, still controls the traditional media channels – Newspaper, Television, Radio, and Billboards.
Equipped with its 5th Nigerian Code of Advertising Practice & Sales Promotion (the “Code”) effective January 2013, APCON has been known to levy sanctions on businesses whose advertisements are not vetted prior to publication or exposure. Its contention has been that it is empowered to regulate advertisement in general and that any person or entity who publishes or procures the publication of an advertisement within the meaning of the Act and the Code is an advertiser and is therefore within the remit of its regulatory powers.
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