Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has urged members of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) to support the State Government’s environmental sustainability programme by utilizing recyclable materials and ensuring that the location or placement of advert billboards and signages conform to the standards set by the State Signage and Advertising Agency (LASAA) in the interest of all.
The Governor who spoke in Lagos at the weekend at the ADVAN Awards for Marketing Excellence West Africa 2018 explained that the appeal becomes imperatives because of the continued danger the usage of non-recyclable materials for advert of brand projection constitutes and the negative approach which costs government a lot of money to remedy.
Ambode who was represented by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan stressed the need for ADVAN to abode with regulatory standards in carrying out its activities adding that LASAA as the ombudsman was established to regulate the placement or location of advert billboards or signages across the State hence ADVAN must cooperate with it in ensuring the sanitization of the environment.
“While it is a fact that advertising industry has a role to play in facilitating economic growth, we cannot overlook the fact that the State of the economy also has its impact on the industry and indeed other sectors of the economy. Therefore, as the government is working hard to build the enabling environment for the business and investment to thrive, the Advertising Association of Nigerian must synergize with government by uploading high professional standards and ethics of the profession,” the Governor opined..
Ambode commended the leadership and entire members of the Association for remaining true to the ideals of its founding fathers by sustaining the legacy of recognizing innovative and effective contributions of stakeholders in the growth and development of marketing as a tool of economic development and growth.
“I commend the efforts of the leadership and entire members of ADVAN for their efforts towards entrenching professionalism in the advertisement industry in Nigeria. Although, the industry has not grown to compare favourably to what obtains in developed economies, I believe that through the commitment, vision and resilience of practitioners, this industry has achieved so much inspite of the challenges facing the growth of the industry,” he noted.