Nigerians from different walks of life have thrown their support behind the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria’s (ARCON) directive that requires all advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market to use Nigerian models and voice-over artists in their material.
The support followed a recent retweet by Tesla billionaire Elon Musk that thrust the policy into a global spotlight.
A statement said Musk had reposted a claim by the X account Wild Videos recently, alleging Nigeria had “become the first country to ban white and British models in all advertising.”
His brief reaction, a single “hmm” was enough to ignite an international firestorm. The post , the statement said racked up over 12 million views within 48 hours, drawing outrage from European and American accounts who framed the policy as racial discrimination. But the response from Nigeria set the record straight. From the replies section of Musk’s own post to the pages of industry publications, Nigerians pushed back, making clear that the ARCON’s directive is not an anti-racist policy but a local talents development and industry growth policy aimed at the Nigerian advertising industry.
The policy was issued on August 22, 2022 by ARCON restricting any non-Nigerian, regardless of race or country of origin, from featuring in advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market, with effect from October 1, 2022.
As Musk’s repost drew responses from across the world, Nigerian users flooded the replies with clarity and conviction. @IamEriOluwa offered one of the most detailed and widely shared corrections, replying directly to Musk: “No, Nigeria did not ban only white models; the policy prohibits the use of foreign models and voice-over artists in advertisements targeted at the Nigerian market, regardless of race or ethnicity. They are saying, use Nigerians to sell to Nigerians. Where is the problem? ”
According to Social Critic, Daniel Regha , “Elon, context matters. While there’s mixed reactions to this even amongst Nigerians, the country’s move to place a ban on foreign models is to up the chances of Nigerians in Nigeria have an opportunity to secure such jobs and also promote local talent within the advertising industry.
In their tweets, other respondents also favoured the policy
Another X user with the handle @whitenigerian , according to the statement put it simply: “I love this development. We don’t need foreign solutions to our local problems. Nigerian for Nigeria.”
The X debate reflected a broader industry consensus that had been building for years before the policy was even enacted.
The Professional Models Association of Nigeria (PROMMAN) in a statement through its Public Relations Officer Kenneth Ighodalo, the association said it received the directive with “cheers and jubilation,” commending ARCON for “having the political will to finally take the needed step after decades of calls to prioritise Nigerian content and stop the misrepresentation of our collective identity as Nigerians.”
Mike Igbe, Acting President of the Guild of Professional Talent Managers of Nigeria (Guptman), according to the statement also threw his full support behind the directive.
Winner of the 2021 Mrs. Nigeria pageant, Tarere Obiagbo, captured the mood of the creative community precisely. “I think it’s about time, and I am so glad the policy has been passed.”
