President of 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 artists in any advertisement space with effect from October 1, 2022.
ARCON director-general Olalekan Fadolapo stated this in a release on Monday.
“All advertisements, advertising and marketing communications materials are to make use of only Nigerian models and voiceover artists,” the statement said.
Reacting to the ban in a statement sent to Qed.ng, Segun Arinze described the news as a welcome development.
The statement read: “We say this is a welcome development. It’s an enabling regulation that favours the local industry especially, at a time 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 is a new dawn, and we are already at work on how to position our members to fill those gaps.”