AAAN: NIGERIA PIONEER'S LEGAL BACKING TO ADVERTISING PRACTISE

Like the common parlance “can anything good come out of Nigeria” Yes! This was the firm answer provided by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), during its 40years celebration recently in the prestigious Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Ogun State.

Listing its numerous achievement at the just concluded 40years celebration of the professional body of advertising agencies in Nigeria, (AAAN), a veteran, former Managing Director of Lintas advertising agencies and past chairman of APCON, Chris Doghudje, took the audience through a broad list of landmarks recorded by the association during its 40years journey as a professional body.

 Drawing attention to its 4^th flash point of achievement by the association, Doghudje stirred up the pride and reputation of the seated guest (which largely consist of the marketing communications practitioners and stakeholders), as he boldly announce Nigeria as the first country to grant legal backing to the practice of advertising the country. He said Nigeria is one step ahead of Britain, America, Japan and all other developed country in this regard, adding that quacks and unregistered members can be taken to court and punished by the law for violating Act 5 section 5 Decree of 1988, if found practicing advertising in Nigeria.

Another major achievement earlier mentioned by Doghudje was the Indigenization verdict of Gowon’s 1972 Decree in Section A which gave birth to the take-over of the pioneering agencies like Lintas, OBM , Admark, and so on from the hands of the foreigners  who were predominantly in-charge before the Decree. According to the veteran, this was the main objective the association’s formation.

“…if not for this achievement, many high-class and leading Nigerian advertising professionals would not have owned any agency today that can rightly compete with global practices.” According to Dohujde, this is the height of all achievements by the association.

It will interest you to also know, as revealed by Mr Dohujed , that Private Broadcasting in Nigeria was facilitated by the Association (AAAN) during its courtesy visit to the then Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda in 1993. The request for deregulation of broadcasting was made and in his response, Gen Babagida said “…I like to go down in history as the first government individual to grant private license to professional industries…”. Today, over 20 private stations operates in Lagos alone.

The hope of all professionals and stakeholders of the advertising industry in Nigeria is to build on the outlined achievements of the past 40years to meet up with the best of global practices in advertising.

  How it started 40years ago:

The idea to establish the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria by Oloye Dotun Okubanjo started in 1970, after consultations with fellows of like minds, the maiden formal meeting took place in June, 1971 under the Chairmanship of the then Mr. Dotun Okubanjo.

Those who were also at the meeting were Leye Adedoyin,  Biodun Sanwo,  Late Chief Olu Adekoya and Late Banjo Solaru.  This meeting took some far-reaching decisions, which included a decision to intimate various ministries and government agencies of the coming into being of the association.  At that meeting, it was agreed that when reference is made to Advertising Agencies, it should be taken to mean all organizations with facilities for originating creative advertising and media planning services.

It then added, “The ability to give such services will be determined by a body approved for such purposes by the government in a manner to be agreed upon with the Federal Military Government”.   The meeting there and then called on members to submit for discussion, memoranda on the following matters:

• Position of existing expatriate agencies
• Position of Nigerian/expatriate agencies
• In-house agencies
• Easing of expatriate employment
• Fronting, and
• Licensing of agencies

Oloye Dotun Okubanjo was elected the Protem Chairman/President of the Association in 1973 thereby becoming the first President of the Association.

The first recorded annual general meeting of the Association was held on Friday, April 18, 1975.  It was presided over by Oloye Dotun Okubanjo.  At the end of this AGM, there was a change of baton from Oloye Dotun Okubanjo to Mr. I. S. Moemeke as the President.  For record purposes, Mr. Moemeke was the longest served president of AAPN from 1975 through 1982.  His period in office was quite eventful and dogged with media owners problems especially, the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN).