NATIONAL: APCON inducts new members

FIFTY new members were yesterday formally inducted into the advertising profession by the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). The colourful event held at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, Registrar/Chief Executive of APCON, stressed the need for all advertising practitioners to uphold the highest standards in the industry.

Fadolapo also gave hint about the plans of the Council, saying, “APCON, in collaboration with all sectoral groups, is engaging the National Assembly to legislate new laws to strengthen our practice and prevent interlopers and contractors from hijacking jobs that rightfully belong to advertising practitioners.”

Among the inductees were Ehi Braimah, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Naija Times; Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited; Ropo Alabi, Chief Executive, Linkpoint and Kayode Olagesin, Chief Executive of Towncriers. Another induction ceremony of new members will hold tomorrow in Kano.

APCON was established in 1988 by Section 1 of the Advertising Practitioners (Registration, and others) Act No 55 of 1988 (now CAP A 7, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004) and charged with several functions, including to determine who advertising practitioners are; establish what standards of knowledge and skills are attained by persons who wish to be advertising practitioners; create a register of practitioners; regulate and and control the practice of advertising and to refer to the minister of health for approval advertisement that relates to foods, cosmetics, beverages and drugs, and to conduct prescribed examinations in the profession and award certificates or diplomats to successful candidates.