The Managing Director, Labi Oasis Limited, Alhaji Mukaila Alade Afolabi, has finally joined the team of Professional Advertising Practitioners in Nigeria, as he was on Monday December 11, 2017, formally inducted into the membership grade of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), in a brief event that took place at news Agency of Nigeria Media Center, Iganmu Lagos.
Before conducting the Oath of Practice for the MD and other 65 new inductees of the day, APCON Registrar/Chief Executive, Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi, FRPA, charged them to be professional and conscious of the law in discharging their duties. He reminded them that APCON was duly and legally established by law and law would take its cause on anyone caught practicing either illegally or unprofessionally without regard for the ethics of the profession. He advised the new inductees to study the Code of Ethics of the Profession in the copy of the Practice Law provided for them at the induction programme. This, according to him, would guide them in being ethical in practice, in order not to run foul of the law and not to disrepute advertising practice in Nigeria.
On the center stage were the sixty six (66) new APCON inductees. At the left hand side, behind others, was the tallest and the oldest new inductee, who is the successful Managing Director of Labi Oasis Limited, Alhaji Mukaila Alade Afolabi. This Economist is the owner of Labi Oasis Hotel in Ikorodu. Anyone, who witnessed the event, could have easily guessed that this industrious son of Ikorodu either needs the APCON membership as a fulfilment in life or to further contribute his quota to Ikorodu development in another dimension.
After the induction, Alhaji Afolabi told Oriwu Sun that it had been a long time desire for him to become a certified APCON Member. “It has been a very long time desire since I was in the primary school. I was interested in Journalism but God chose Economics for me. Later in life, I discovered that I still had the journalism interest; hence, I went to the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (NIJ) to study Advertising and Public Relations at Post Graduate level. After that, I knew that before I can establish my own Advertising Agency, I needed to take the membership course for APCON. I took the professional exam in August this year, and I thank God, today is my induction. I feel much fulfilled because I have now accomplished one of my goals in life,” he stated.
This new APCON inductee also stated that with his achievement, he would soon establish his own Advertising Agency in Ikorodu. He disclosed that in addition to Labi Oasis Hotel, located at T.O.S Benson road, Labi Oasis Theatre, Gym Centre and Children Amusement Park would be built along that same road next year. He explained that with all these, both the young and old in Ikorodu wouldn’t have to travel far to have a nice time.
Meanwhile, the APCON Registrar/Chief Executive, Alhaji Bello Garba, revealed to Oriwu Sun that APCON do not have to go from home to home to search for those, who practice the profession illegally, as the new government policy, which now requires practitioners to present some APCON documents before any transaction is made, has continued to bring compliance and sanity into the system in recent times.
He said that in every family, growth is important; therefore, he felt greatly elated to induct and welcome sixty (66) new members, who had decided to shun illegality and embrace legality by registering with the body.
Present at the induction programme were Assistant Director Registration, Corporate Licence and Career Matters, MS Mather Onyebuchi and some other APCON officials. The guests of Alhaji Afolabi at the event included, publisher, Ikorodu news, Alhaji Ganny Awobajo, medial consultant, Prince Abiodun Adeola, chairman Ijede Development Foundation; Alhaji Fola Soliu; Baale Ojogbe Communty, Ikorodu, Chief Olukayode Olomo; the wife of the inductee and other family members and well-wishers.