The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, the apex regulatory body in the nation’s advertising space, has refuted recent reports claiming that the agency charges N3 million as an advert vetting fee.
In a statement, ARCON’s Head of Corporate Affairs, Winifred Akpan, described the report as false, malicious, and a misrepresentation of the vetting fee process.
Akpan clarified that ARCON charges N35,000 as a vetting fee for advertising materials, not N3 million as erroneously claimed in the report.
She emphasized that the N3 million fee mentioned in the report is a deterrent fee for organizations producing their advertisements outside Nigeria, and it is not classified as a vetting fee.
“The publication is one of the many interviews of the President of Advertisers’ Association of Nigeria, Mr Osamede Uwubanmwen, in which he misrepresented the fact, misinformed the public and maliciously maligned the reputation of ARCON as an insensitive and anti-industry development agency,” Akpan stated.
The agency clarified its stance, saying, “Vetting fee is N35,000, and not N3 million, as headlined in The Punch Newspaper. There is a deterrent fee of N3 million for organizations that produce their advertisements outside Nigeria. This is not a vetting fee. It is part of ARCON’s efforts, aimed at encouraging the use of local talents and production of advertisements in Nigeria as part of our industry development and growth programme.”
ARCON emphasized that if an advertisement is produced within Nigeria, no deterrent fee is required.
The agency encouraged organizations to support the use of local talents and the production of all advertisements, advertising, and marketing communications directed or targeted at the nation’s market.
