Federal Govt Inaugurates Advertising Offences Tribunal, Regulate, Address Violations 

The federal government has inaugurated Advertising Offences Tribunal, to regulate and control advertising and entertain all matters of violations of the provisions of the Act, the Code of Advertising Practice, Standard of Practice in the country.

LEADERSHIP reports that realizing the contemporary regulatory shortcomings in the Advertising Practitioners (Registration, Etc) Act CAP A7, L.F.N. 2004 due to lapse of time since its enactment in 1988, and the evolution of new media with its attendant capacities to foster business growth, create employment and change the social, cultural, and economic activities, the National Assembly proposed and passed a bill to repeal the Act and re-enact the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony in Abuja yesterday the minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the federal government’s interest in boosting the role and mandate of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) for effective regulation of advertising, advertisement and marketing communication in Nigeria is built on the awareness that the Nigeria Advertising industry holds enormous potentials to influence the nation’s economic growth.

“Consequently, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, assented to the bill in July 2022 and gave life to the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No. 23 of 2022. The Act took into cognizance the inadequacies of its predecessor as well as the need to protect consumers from illegal, untruthful, dishonest, indecent, and distasteful advertising, advertisements, and marketing communication directed at, or targeting the Nigerian market,” he said.

Mohammed said the Council was vested with the power to regulate and control advertising in Nigeria in all aspects and ramifications.

He said to ensure the success of the Council in carrying out her statutory responsibilities, the Advertising Offences Tribunal was established by the Act.

He said the Tribunal is empowered to entertain all matters of violations of the provisions of the Act, the Code of Advertising Practice, Standard of Practice, and other subsidiary legislations made pursuant to the Act.

He said, “Realizing that in order to exercise the jurisdiction vested by the Act on the Tribunal, it must have persons with relevant knowledge and background in the Nigeria judicial system as well as the Nigeria advertising space, we have appointed the outstanding persons we are about to inaugurate today.

“The chairperson of the Tribunal, Hon Justice Cecilia Olatoregun, is an eminent jurist who has served in various capacities in the bar and the bench. The other members of the Tribunal, Mr. Charles Odenigbo, Mr. Moroof Aileru, Mrs. Julia Oku Jack, Alhaji Bello Kankarofi and Mr. Idorenyen Enang, are all eminently qualified to hold the offices which they have been appointed into.

“I am very confident that having come from different relevant backgrounds, Your Lordship and the members of the Tribunal will entertain every matter before you for adjudication justly, fairly, and without bias.”

The minister said the federal government will continue to support the advancement of the advertising industry in Nigeria and will ensure that being a nation with remarkable characteristics as well as diverse ethnic, cultural and religious background, advertising, advertisement and marketing communications will be carried out with a level of decency as well as respect for cultural values and constitutional tenets.