15 Advertising Agencies get AAAN ban

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No fewer than 15 advertising agencies in the country have been expelled by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria during its last AGM/Congress which was held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State last week.

Speaking on the expulsion, the immediate past President of the association, Mr. Kelechi Nwosu, said the decision to axe the affected agencies was taken after they refused to meet their obligations to the association as members, and all pleas by the association to make them have a change of heart yielded no result.

“Some member-agencies refused to honour their outstanding financial obligations to the association. After several appeals from the board and the secretariat, the agencies were delisted in line with the association’s constitution,” Nwosu said at the Congress.

The affected agencies are 24-7 Communications Limited, Adpure Limited, Angels Communication Limited, Alder Media Limited, BTAS Communication Limited, Novitas Limited, Pemetad Limited, Sloane Communication Limited, Campaign Palace Limited, Comex Limited, Eslia Communication Limited, Explicit Communication Limited, Grant Advertising Limited, Media Plus Limited and Platform Branding Limited.

By this action, the affected agencies may not be able to legally practice advertising in Nigeria, until such a time when they are again accepted as members of AAAN.

Kelechi Nwosu, Immediate past President of AAAN
Kelechi Nwosu, Immediate past President of AAAN

In the same vein, the association has sacked two of its board members for poor attendance at EXCO meetings; they are Mr. Sule Momoh, who did not attend any of the eight EXCO meetings slated for the past year. Also affected was Mr. Sam Osunsoko who attended only one in eight meetings.

“My view is that we should all commit to serve diligently, but resign if and when our time no longer permits that service. This should be a lesson to us all,” Nwosu said.

The AGM which was the 43rd since the association was formed produced a new set of executives led by former Vice President Kayode Oluwasona, Managing Partner of Harmony Concept, Ikechi Odigbo of DDB Lagos emerged Vice President, Wale Akintunde Treasurer, former Assistant Publicity Secretary, Steve Babaeko has been elevated to the position of Publicity Secretary, Onuora Moloku, Assistant Publicity Secretary. The Ex-Officio members are Kelechi Nwosu, Dr. Tunji Olugbodi, Mrs. Bisi Afolabi, Feyi Olubodun and Mrs. Tope Jemerigbe.

Unfortunately, the emergence of the new executives has been enmeshed in controversies as some practitioners frowned at the report that they didn’t emerge from a proper AAAN elections, as used to be the case. The emergence of the executives, according to them, was only a friendly agreement by some stakeholders and powerful individuals within the association, who simply hand-picked the officials.

The aggrieved members insisted that such under-the-table deal was against the spirit of competition and friendly rivalry which the industry embodies. They reason that AAAN, as a body of creative minds ought to be a model for other segments of the society to follow.