President of the Association of Voice-Over Artistes (AVOA), Segun Arinze has commended the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) for banning the use of foreign models and voiceover artistes in any advertisement space in the country with effect from October 1, 2022.
ARCON director-general, Olalekan Fadolapo, had in a release on Monday, directed that no foreign artiste or model should be used for any advertising material in Nigeria.
The move, according to him, was aimed at encouraging the Nigeria Modelling and Advertising Industry to strive at a time when models are fast relocating abroad for greener pasture.
“All advertisements and advertising and marketing communications materials are to make use of only Nigerian models and voice over artistes”, Fadolapo had stated.
Describing the move as a welcome development, Arinze stated that the new directive will further encourage the local industry to strive.
“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.
“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,” he stated.
