By Tunji Faleye
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has opened entries for the maiden edition of the ARCON Special Recognition Awards (ASRA). Entries for the awards will run from Monday, August 31, to Sunday, September 13, 2026.
ASRA is designed to celebrate advertisers, brands, and industry practitioners that have demonstrated a high level of compliance with advertising standards.
Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director-General, ARCON, said that while vetting, which is one of the physical elements of regulation will be taken into consideration, there is also a need to recognise people who have complied with advertising standards to encourage other practitioners in the industry in a transparent process.
He added that simply recognising compliance with the Advertising Standards Panel may not be enough, as the committee has requested that other areas of relevance be considered, particularly in terms of individuals and organisations that have contributed to the growth of the advertising ecosystem.
Yinka Adebayo, Chairman, Planning Committee, ASRAwards, while breaking down the framework of the awards, said, “ASRA is to promote responsible advertising practices, encouraging adherence to the vetting process and establishing benchmark for the best practice across the Nigerian advertising industry.” Yinka added that the categories of the awards include Advertising Compliance Awards, Public Sector Recognition Awards, Private Sector Recognition Awards, and Individual Recognition Awards.
Lanre Adisa, President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), appreciated the efforts of the ARCON DG to move the industry forward. He said, “Practitioners cannot over-emphasize the need for recognition in the advertising industry.”
He said, “one of the things that we always thrive for is to create visibility for the industry, and one good way of doing that is to recognize good work. This helps to move the agenda of visibility forward. One of such is what we are about to do now, by expanding the scope of what we have done in the past and recognize more people for what they are doing. That is very crucial in an economy and environment as demanding and challenging as ours. So, whoever gets recognized will feel good.”
He concluded that ASRA needs to be encouraged and AAAN, as well as Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups, will put their weight behind it.
Tolulope Medebem, President of Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN), extended the association’s goodwill to ARCON. Medebem said, “EXMAN believes that recognition is important in every industry because it does more than celebrating achievement. It reinforces standard reward commitment and reminds us all of the values and behaviours we want to see more of across our profession.”
She said, “in an industry where there is constant change in consumer behaviours, new platform and increase demand for accountability, it is especially important that we continue to acknowledged those whose works strengthen credibility, professionalism and progress of the advertising ecosystem.
Presidents of the other sectors present, including Brenda Nwangwu, President, Media Independent Practitioner Association of Nigeria; Babs Fagade, representative of the Out-of-Home Advertising Agencies of Nigeria president; and Adeola Amosun, Group Media Manager, Tolaram, the platinum sponsor of ASRA, also put their weight behind the awards to recognise compliance by those whose works are remarkable.
