The Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), Dr ?lalekan Fadolapo, has dismissed concerns that the regulatory body is out to strangulate operators in the advertising industry, saying its primary objective is to sanitise the sector and promote professional excellence.
Fadolapo stated this at a media briefing ahead of the maiden edition of the ARCON Special Recognition Awards 2026, scheduled to hold at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, on October 23, 2026.
He said ARCON’s regulatory activities were aimed at ensuring compliance with established advertising standards and procedures while creating an environment where responsible industry players could thrive.
According to him, the Council’s commitment to enforcing regulations should not be interpreted as an attempt to stifle businesses, agencies or individuals operating within the advertising ecosystem.
Rather, he said, ARCON was determined to strengthen the industry by ensuring that practitioners complied with the law and adhered to professional standards consistent with global best practices.
Fadolapo said the Special Recognition Awards was evidence that the Council’s regulatory mandate was not limited to sanctions and penalties against erring practitioners.
He explained that ARCON was also interested in recognising and celebrating individuals, organisations and agencies that had made significant contributions to the growth and development of the advertising industry.
‘The bestowment of awards and recognition to deserving awardees is crucial for the fact that it encourages awardees to keep doing more and also motivates others to aspire for such recognition in their professional and corporate endeavours.
‘We believe that recognition encourages positive competition towards excellence,’ he said.
The ARCON boss said his administration remained committed to raising and sustaining professional standards in the industry within the provisions of the law.
He stressed that effective regulation was necessary to build a credible, transparent and internationally competitive advertising sector.
The initiative has received the backing of major stakeholders in the industry, including the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and Experiential Marketers Association of Nigeria (EXMAN).
The President of AAAN and Chairman of the Heads of Advertising Sectoral Group (HASG), Lanre Adisa, also stressed the importance of recognising individuals and organisations contributing to the growth of the industry.
Adisa said the initiative would help create greater visibility for the advertising sector while encouraging practitioners to continue raising the standards of the industry.
‘One of the things we try to create is visibility for the industry. And to achieve that, one way is to expand the scope and recognise the people who are at the forefront of doing the industry proud.
‘By doing so, others will be motivated,’ he said.
Also speaking, the President of MIPAN, Brenda Nwagwu, said recognition was important because it encouraged excellence, which she described as one of the pillars of the association.
‘At MIPAN, we remain committed to working with ARCON to move the industry forward with the 2026 ASRA,’ she said.
Similarly, the President of EXMAN, Tolulope Medebem, commended ARCON for the initiative, saying practitioners who continued to raise the bar deserved to be recognised.
‘At EXMAN, we believe recognition is important for an industry such as ours, which involves changes in technology.
‘We commend ARCON for this award initiative, and we believe it can only get better for the industry,’ she said.
The Chairman of the Planning Committee, Yinka Adebayo, described the event as the mother of awards in the industry, saying the awards would help correct the perception that ARCON’s activities were focused mainly on imposing fines on erring agencies.
‘The event will correct the assumption that ARCON is only about awarding fines to erring agencies.
‘Rather, it is also interested in recognising and commending industry players that are contributing towards the growth of the advertising ecosystem,’ Adebayo said.
According to the organising committee, online voting for the awards will commence on September 20, while nominations will close on September 13.
The committee said nominees would thereafter be required to submit evidence supporting their eligibility for the awards before voting begins.
The winners will emerge from four broad award frameworks, comprising Advertising Compliance Awards, Public Sector Recognition Awards, Private Sector Recognition Awards and Individual Recognition Awards.