AIC 2023: Town And Gown Convergence Has Enormous Gains For Advertising And Marketing In Nigeria – Lai Mohammed

From left: Prof Umaru Pate, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State; Sunday Adejo Baba, Director of Public Communication and National Orientation, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture; Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director General, ARCON; Prof Nosa Oweris-Ibie, Chairman of the Occasion; Chief Route Commander Godwin Umweni, Head of Transport Standardization Organization represent Sector Commander FRSC Lagos Sector and Mr. Idorenyen Enang, Keynote Speaker/CEO Corporate Shepherd ltd. during the Advertising Industry Colloquium (AIC) 2023 held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja Lagos recently.

The Minister Of Information And Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stressed that the current effort by The Advertising Regulatory Council Of Nigeria to bring the academia and practitioners together is a noble initiative that will profitably motivate Nigeria’s marketing communications industry.

The minister spoke while opening the maiden edition of the Advertising Industry Colloquium held On Thursday 30th March 2023 at Sheraton Hotel, Lagos

In the words of the Minister who was represented by Mr. Sunday Baba, Director, Public Communications Fed. Min, of Information & Culture “convergence of the academia and core business practitioners, will profitably motivate an industry like the advertising and marketing communications, especially the young generation whose talents and skills are at the early stage mixing what was taught in preparation for practice and the actual practice holds. The challenges could be audacious and the potential enormous.

“Advertising has come a very long way in contributing to and advancing the growth of Nigeria’s economy massively. The role of advertising in academics and the day-to-day business activities cannot be neglected or underestimated by any economy that genuinely seeks to develop and sustain her economic progress.”

The minister also commended the Director General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, the Management and staff of the Council, and the distinguished Advertising Industry Colloquium Committee chaired by Prof. Olatunji Rotimi for putting up, magnificently, a first advertising industry colloquium. He noted that the project deserves every support and encouragement it needs to be sustained.

The minister also explained that the introduction of the industry Standard of Practice was to eradicate unethical practices and ensure that a 5% cumulative local content is integrated into all advertisement, advertising, and marketing communication materials with effect from January 1, 2023.

With this, he noted delightfully that a minimum of 500,000 jobs would be created annually and save the country hundreds of millions of Naira in capital flight that came through the production of advertisements outside the country.
Delivering his remarks earlier, the Chairman of the occasion Prof. Nosa Owens-Ibie, Vice-Chancellor, Caleb University, Imota, Lagos traced activities that led to the Colloquium and the foundation of what is today the unbundled mass communication curriculum. He paid tribute to the Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) which he is leading and many other individuals and organisations that made great sacrifices to bring the academia and industry to the same page on the issue of the Advertising curriculum. In the words of Prof Owen-Ibie, “with digital advertising now the name of the game, and good old advertising donning a garb of sophistication and algorithms-powered targeting of prospects, advertising has become a battleground of creativity and innovations
“Today’s challenge is to the educational system- it is imperative for educators to really upgrade and be ahead of or at least conversant with content, technology, process and practice”.

In his welcome address, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, Director General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria ARCON, reiterated that the colloquium was primarily organised to boost stronger synergy and promote effectual congruence between academia and the practitioners in the advertising and marketing communications industry. He equally promised that The interactive opportunity provided by the colloquium will enable students and young graduates to understand the routine business concepts and factual practical challenges experienced in the industry.

“It also allows selected tertiary institutions to participate in a pitch competition judged by experts in the industry” he added.

Presenting his keynote paper, the lead speaker, Idorenyen Enang, President of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) and CEO of Corporate Shepherds Ltd, who spoke on the theme: “Changing Trends in Advertising Education and Practice in the Era of Globalization: The Nigerian Perspective”, underlined the need for stakeholders, especially curriculum developers to prioritize the fundamental knowledge of marketing to concretise the foundation that other capabilities could be built on to ensure lasting growth and develop the industry.

Other experts who made presentations at the colloquium include Professor Umaru A. Pate, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere., Emmanuel Agu; Bar Charles Odenigbo. Muyiwa Aleshinloye, Dozie Okafor, (Vice- President, MIPAN), and Tolu Medebem. Hannah Oyebanji anchored the programme.

The last segment of the colloquium was the pitch contest involving selected campuses. In the end, Babcock University took the second runners-up position and went home with N500,000. Lagos State University was the first runners-up and went home with N750,000 while the University of Ilorin won a million naira and was the eventual winner.