The Chairman of the Advertising Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria, Oyo State Chapter (APAOC), Dr Sola Alimi (frpa), has raised concerns over multiple regulatory fees imposed on advertising practitioners, saying the development could undermine the profitability and sustainability of businesses in the sector.
Alimi, who is also the Head of the Department of Art, Design and Print Technology at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, said regulatory agencies at different levels of government needed to coordinate their activities to prevent practitioners from being subjected to overlapping charges.
Speaking on the challenges confronting advertising practice in Oyo State, he said excessive and multiple regulatory fees could make it difficult for practitioners to remain profitable, particularly amid the prevailing economic challenges.
According to him, there should be clear delineation of responsibilities among regulatory authorities to avoid situations where practitioners are required to pay several agencies for similar regulatory functions.
He said, “It is a possibility that it will hurt practitioners because if you have to pay regulators that overlap in their activities, then it is going to affect the practice of advertising.
“Take for instance, you have an organisation and then you have a regulator at the federal level. Then at the state level, you also have a regulator. Maybe regulator one, then tomorrow, regulator two, and then regulator three. And then you have an interface of regulators here and there that we have to pay to. Then how much are you really making from the business?”
The APAOC chairman said regulatory charges should be streamlined and structured in a manner that would allow practitioners to comply with government requirements without imposing unnecessary financial burdens on their businesses.
He argued that professional advertisers already incur costs associated with registration, licensing, training and compliance, stressing that additional overlapping charges could discourage investment in the sector.
Alimi said effective regulation remained necessary for maintaining standards in the advertising industry, but such regulation should be transparent, predictable and professionally coordinated.
He also called for closer collaboration between the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), the Oyo State Signage and Advertising Agency (OYSAA) and other relevant government authorities to establish a clearer regulatory framework for practitioners.
According to him, regulators should focus on enforcing professional standards and ensuring compliance rather than creating multiple layers of financial obligations.
He said stronger coordination would also help address illegal outdoor advertising and ensure that only qualified and registered practitioners were allowed to operate in the state.
Alimi also advocated the involvement of registered advertising practitioners in regulatory processes, particularly in OYSAA, saying their professional experience could help government develop policies that reflected the realities of the industry.
“The government can look into co-opting brilliant practitioners into OYSAA, brilliant practitioners that are duly registered. That is also going to be a way of ensuring that there is balance between what the government is doing and what the industry represents,” he said.
He said a more collaborative regulatory system would promote compliance, protect legitimate practitioners and create an environment conducive to the growth of the advertising industry in Oyo State.
Alimi also disclosed that APAOC was working on initiatives aimed at bringing practitioners together, improving professional skills and strengthening compliance with ethical standards across the different sectors of the industry.
He said the association was also working towards building a reliable database of advertising practitioners in Oyo State to facilitate training, monitoring and professional development.
The chairman urged government and regulatory agencies to engage industry stakeholders in policy formulation, saying such engagement would help reduce conflicts and improve the effectiveness of advertising regulation.
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