Reject unapproved adverts-advertisers, agencies, media organisations urged

A legal luminary and Director General, Centre for Media Law and Development (CMLD), Charles Odenigbo, has called on advertisers, agencies and media organisations in the country to adhere strictly to the rules and regulations guiding advertising practice by rejecting unvetted advertisements to avoid sanctions.

Odenigbo gave the advice in keynote lecture tagged:  “Political Advertising Campaigns in Nigeria: The Regulatory Guidelines and Compliance Obligations”, organised by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), in Lagos, on Tuesday.

He explained that mandatory vetting of political advertisements before exposure remains a critical requirement under the nation’s advertising regulatory regime, with the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) having the statutory responsibility of carrying out such duties.

The CMLD boss, therefore, warned that sanctions may be imposed upon advertisers, agencies, and media organisations that publish or expose such advertisements without approval.

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According to Odenigbo, a critical requirement under Nigeria’s advertising regulatory regime is the mandatory vetting of political advertisements before exposure.

“The ARCON Vetting Guidelines expressly notify all media organisations, political parties, electoral stakeholders, politicians, and their agents that all political advertisements and political commercials must be submitted to the Advertising Standards Panel established under Section 53 of the ARCON Act, 2022, for vetting and approval before publication, broadcast, or exposure.

“This position is reinforced by ARCON’s public notice that all political advertisements must receive prior approval from the Advertising Standards Panel before dissemination.

“The Guidelines provide that advertisements shall not be exposed until a Certificate of Approval has been issued by the Advertising Standards Panel; copies of approval certificates must accompany media placement instructions,” he stated.

The Director General, ARCON, Dr Lekan Fadolapo, in his welcome address, explained that the decision to organise the forum stemmed from the need to sanitise the nation’s political advertising space as political campaigns gather momentum.

While assuring the public of the agency’s readiness to ensure rules governing political advertising are strictly adhered to, the ARCON boss also warned that the agency would not hesitate to wield the big stick on any individual caught flouting the rules.