FG urges stakeholders to implement Executive Order 10 on local content

The Federal Government has urged stakeholders in the advertising industry to implement the nation’s laws and policy promoting the use of local contents for at least 40 percent of advertisement contents in the country.

The Director General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dr. Dasuki Ibrahim Arabi, made the plea on Friday in Abuja, while receiving the management of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), led by its Registrar, Dr. Olalekan Olumuyiwa Fadolapo, on a working visit.

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According to him, it is important that the advertising industry play a leading role, as required of them, in promoting the local contents in their productions, to be in line with a provision in the Executive Order 10 of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

“The issue of local content is very important to the country, now that the government is changing the face of developments across areas and segments in promoting national interests,” Arabi said.

He said that the idea to re-brand the Public Sector became imperative, especially in the quest to ensure that government creates a unified master brand which can among others be used to achieve strategic objectives like boosting the nations image, building stronger sense of National unity, delivering digital services, improve government communication to citizens, and redirect focus on services provided by government departments.

“In the light of the foregoing, the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, approved the composition of an Inter-Ministerial Technical Working Committee on Re-Branding of the Nigeria Public Sector in 2019.

“The initiative essentially addresses Federal Government concern towards creating a Unified Master-Brand Architecture to handle government branding and information management towards enhanced service delivery,” he added.

He said that so far, the committee had submitted an interim report; developed its Terms of Reference (TOR) and strategic framework for developing a brand management for the Nigeria public sector.

“Detailed findings and recommendations of the report have since been forwarded to the SGF, Mr. Boss Mustapha. The COVID-19 pandemic had somehow slowed the space of work on the assignment; however, it is hoped that with the phased ease of the lockdown and further directives from the SGF, the committee will proceed further with the assignment,” Arabi said.

The APCON boss, Dr Olalekan Olumuyiwa Fadolapo, said that there has been lots of improvement on the advertisement sector in the country and that there is still room for more positive development.

The two organisations also pledged to deepen their working relationship especially in the areas of civil and public sectors reforms and promotion of local brands and contents.