Nollywood’s Segun Arinze has backed the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria’s (ARCON) ban on the usage of foreign models and voice actors in any form of advertising.
The West African Pilot reports that Olalekan Fadolapo, director-general of ARCON, in a press release on Monday, warned that no foreign performer or model should be used for any advertisement in Nigeria.
Mr. Fadolapo stated that the ban, which will take effect from 1 October 2022, is “in line with the federal government’s policy of developing local talent, inclusive economic growth and the need to take necessary steps and actions aimed at growing the Nigerian advertising industry”.
The implication of this is that, starting from 1 October, “all advertisements and marketing communications materials are to make use of only Nigerian models and voice-over artistes.”
Reacting to the news, Mr. Arinze, the President of the Association of Voice-Over Artists (AVOA) Nigeria, applauded ARCON for the regulation, which he described as a ‘welcome development’.
According to him, it is a positive move that will help the local industry continue to grow.
“We say this is a welcome development. It’s an enabling regulation that favours the local industry, especially at a time when Nigeria is in dire need of sufficient platforms for its teeming youth population,” he said.
“This is a clear demonstration of responsiveness on the part of ARCON. It is now left to us in the various Guilds and Associations to put our acts together and ensure that Nigeria is not only capable of filling all gaps, but the capacity to project these talents to the world.
“For us at the Association of Voice-Over Artistes (AVOA) Nigeria, it’s a new dawn and we are already at work on how to position our members to fill those gaps.”
