Okon Bassey in Uyo
Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Comrade Ini Ememobong and 36 others from the South-South and the South-East regions have been Inducted into the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON).
The induction was conducted after a two-day training and a modified executive professional examination (MEPE) held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital at the weekend.
Speaking after the induction, the Chief Executive Officer/Registrar of APCON, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo said the exercise was to accord a legal status to some people who may have been practising without adequate certification.
He charged the new inductees to be good ambassadors of the advertising profession, adding that with their certification, they were free to explore opportunities in the industry without the fear of harassment.
“With your certification, you now have the legal rights to establish a full fledged advertising agency, and explore opportunities in outdoor advertising and other independent media space.
“It is also important to note that APCON recognizes the importance of continuous training and constant engagement with young professionals in our industry.
“We encourage you to consider our training programmes a priority for your personal development and to participate in them regularly.”, he charged
Also speaking, the Director of Registration, Joe-Eugene Onuorah said the programme was an alternative procedure for admitting people who did not have the prescribed academic qualification, into the profession.
“The registration is based on having acquired the basic experience over many years of practice.
“The procedure required that they are subjected to a two-day intensive training to acquaint them with basic principles that they need to understand to be able to practice more professionally and responsibly, and that is what we have done since last Wednesday.”, he stated.
On the choice of Uyo, Onourah explained that the exercise was organised to cover the South-South and the South-East region and Uyo being one of the states in the region, was selected with the hope that it would avail individuals in the areas the opportunity to get inducted.
Reacting to his new membership, a senior staff of the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr. Idris Madabaje said with the certification, he was now an all-rounder in the field of mass communication.
He added that he was therefore ready “to explore more opportunities in the sector.”
