By Felicia Nwosu

The Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups (HASG), led by newly elected Chairman, Lanre Adisa, has clarified its position on the Chartered Out-of-Home Media Practitioners of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2024. The group stated that they were unaware of the bill until it was reported in the media.

Recall that a few weeks ago; some media reports had revealed that a bill seeking to establish a regulatory body for out-of-home (OOH) media practitioners in Nigeria had passed its second reading in the Senate. The said report disclosed that it was sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressive Grand Alliance party representing Abia South, the bill aims to address the sector’s environmental impact and professionalize its practices.

The Sectoral body emphasized that the bill had never been presented to or discussed by the group. Despite empathizing with the OOH sector, the HASG’s detailed review concluded that the current government-established regulatory framework is sufficiently robust to handle emerging concerns.

According to the group of astute professionals, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is capable of integrating most elements of the proposed bill, which align with existing Advertising Law, while noting that other elements necessitate discussions with key stakeholders at state and local government levels for effective resolution.

The business experts maintained they believe that duplicating the regulatory framework would weaken the marketing communications industry and significantly increase operational costs. Therefore, the HASG does not support the bill in its current form.

They also obliged that as law abiding professionals, that they remain committed to engaging with all relevant parties to harmonize the bill’s components within the existing regulatory framework, ensuring a mutually beneficial outcome for the entire industry.