The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has conferred fellowship of the Advertising Profession, the highest status of membership of the profession on 44 practitioners.
At the ceremony held in Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Ikeja on Thursday, 30th October, 2025, fellowship was conferred on practitioners who have been registered as full members of the profession and have in addition, met other criteria as well as impacted significantly in the development of the profession.
The Director General, ARCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo in his welcome address stated that as the regulator for advertising, ARCON exercises the authority, on behalf of the profession, to confer the Fellowship on deserving practitioners at a public ceremony.
He explained that the criteria include good academic qualification, consistent engagement in the practice of marketing communications for a minimum of fifteen years, involvement in the management of outstanding marketing communications campaigns, service to the profession at the level of the ARCON governing Council or Industry Sectoral Associations, intellectual or professional expressions, mentorship or endowment, among others.
- Advertisement -
The consideration for the fellowship according to him begins by application submitted by practitioners who believe they have met the criteria for the fellowship. “Such applications are subsequently screened by a suitable industry committee appointed for the purpose and recommendations made to the Council regarding persons who have qualified for the fellowship according to the criteria.”
Dr. Fadolapo also disclosed that to date, there has been 170 practitioners who have been conferred with the fellowship, adding that the new ones like those before them are expected to conduct themselves and their practice with appropriate dignity and distinction as well as serve as pillars of support and leading lights for the profession.
Congratulating the new fellows, Dr. Fadolapo said advertising is evolving and there is the need for practitioners to follow the trend. “The challenge to us is that we need to reassess our approach and so as practitioners, gatekeepers and fellows, the thing upon us now is that we need to seek how we can continue to contribute to the body of knowledge that we call advertising.
“We will always be challenged; technology will challenge us, the environment will challenge us, the economic reality of our time will challenge us, but then, the ecosystem will continue to grow.”
He said: “Nigerian advertising industry is growing and it will continue to grow. We are bringing new fellows, new mentors and new people on board to help in propagating the message, the knowledge, the requirements and ethical standards for advertising practice.”
Also speaking at the ceremony, one of Nigeria’s foremost advertising practitioner and Chairman of Troyka Holdings, Dr. Biodun Shobanjo in his remarks reminded the gathering of the fact that in four years, the advertising sector will worth one trillion naira, stressing the need for all practitioners to work together to improve the sector.
He urged the new fellows not to rest on their oars but work on how to achieve more for the advertising sector.
Barrister Emmanuel Ajufo, Chairman Selection Committee in his remarks said the committee received a total of 48 applications out of which 44 were picked for fellowship status of the profession at the ceremony.
Congratulating the fellows, Ajufo said: “We wish the latest fellows well and urge them to maintain the high standards of excellence, integrity and professionalism that earned them this huge honor in the advertising community.”
Heads of sectoral bodies at the ceremony were optimistic of the impact the addition of fellows will have on the advertising profession, urging them to continue to support ARCON in the quest to ensure advertising profession keep moving forward.
Mr. Lanre Adisa, Chairman, Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups (HASG) congratulated the fellows, stating that the induction is an invitation to do more and it means they have done something worthy of recognition.
“Therefore you must continue to keep the sector going as we set for the big one in few years in terms of the worth of advertising sector.
The Vice-President of the International Advertising Association (IAA) for Africa Mr. Steve Babaeko disclosed that in three years advertising will be 100 years in Nigeria, adding that the conferment of fellowship on the new set is a call to service and a call to rededicating to seeing how to take this industry forward.
“It gives us more room for food for thought by thinking of what you can do, what you can contribute to make this industry better,” he said.
Advertising effectively and statutorily became a profession in Nigeria following the promulgation of the Advertising Practitioners registration Act 1988. The Act now replaced by (ARCON Act 2022) provided for different categories of membership of the profession, namely Student Member, Associate Member, Full Member and Fellow and specified the academic and professional qualifications for registration of practitioners into any of the membership categories.
BV.
