The Advertising Practitioners’ Association (APA), Port Harcourt Chapter, has unanimously re-elected Dr. Dike Bekwele Lawrence for a fresh term as its Chairman. Dr. Bekwele, a seasoned academic and Lecturer in the Department of Marketing at the University of Port Harcourt, was returned to office alongside other members of the state executive committee during the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Port Harcourt.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Bekwele pledged his firm determination to introduce new, transformative measures aimed at redefining the standards and operational landscape of the advertising industry across Rivers State.
Highlighting a crucial link between effective communication and economic growth, the Chairman stressed that genuine investment drive would not fully materialise in the state until the government places appropriate value on the role of advertising and marketing communication practitioners in Destination Marketing.
“No meaningful investment drive will come into fruition in the state until the government appreciates the role of Advertising and marketing communication Practitioners’ in Destination marketing of the state,” Dr. Bekwele asserted. He called for an immediate and collaborative effort among all stakeholders in the state to aggressively market the state’s potential to the wider investing public, positioning advertising as a key strategic tool for economic development.
A significant focus of the Chairman’s new mandate is the critical need for industry sanitization. Dr. Bekwele specifically sought the collective support of stakeholders to decisively stamp out the menace of individuals masquerading as practitioners, particularly within the lucrative Out-of-Home (OOH) sector.
Vowing zero tolerance for unprofessional conduct, the Chairman affirmed the Association’s commitment to working closely with the industry’s apex body, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), to achieve the mandate of weeding out quacks and ensuring that only qualified and ethical professionals operate within the state.
