Sola Akinsiku

Contrary to insinuations in some quarters, the President of the Out- of- Home Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), Sola Akinsiku, has said the proposed Chartered Out- of- Home Media Practitioners  (COOHMP) Bill is not an attempt to compete with existing regulatory bodies in the nation’s advertising industry, but to sanitise the  OoH sector,  and save it from the clutches of charlatans.

Akinsiku, in a  statement, also refuted the claim that the association  surreptitiously lobbied for the bill, with the aim of catching the industry unawares, arguing that though members are fully in support of the bill, the idea of the bill was  initiated from the floor of the national assembly by a concerned lawmaker.

On the decision of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group (HASG) to oppose the proposed bill, Akinsiku believed it was wrong for the Group to have done that without consulting OAAN,  a critical member  of the Group, directly affected by the issue being discussed.

He stated that contrary to the impression being created by the Group that  OAAN, being a member of HASG, was part of the meeting that opposed the bill,  its leadership was never consulted before the decision was taken.

Akinsiku believed, when  approved, the bill would go a long  way in enhancing the fortunes of practitioners and the practice, and bring sanity to the out- of -home Advertising ecosystem.

Besides checking  wanton destructions to members’ assets, the OAAN boss is  also of the belief that the proposed bill  would check the bastardisation of the environment, through cluttering.

“For the avoidance of doubts, our Association has unequivocally and unambiguously expressed our support for the Bill, as proposed by the most distinguished Senator Abaribe Eyinnaya Harcourt because we are convinced that the anticipated Charter will promote sanity, excellence and professionalism in the Out-of-Home media ecosystem.

“We believe very strongly that it is in the best interest of our practice and business as well as the industry to have the proposed chartered status. At the least, onslaught against Out-of-Home Media Assets in the country would be protected and bastardization of the environment with cluttering would stop.

“Therefore, we do reiterate that we do not subscribe to the statement by the HASG purporting to oppose the bill. Despite this, we still remain a part and parcel of the HASG,  and while we are still answerable to the apex regulatory* HASG,”  he added.

While insisting that the new chartered body will not disrupt existing regulatory process in the industry, Akinsiku stated that the apex regulatory body, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is doing its best within the ambits of the law to regulate advertising contents on practitioners’ platforms.