FG inaugurates advertising offences tribunal

The Advertising Offenses Tribunal was officially launched yesterday by Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture.

According to him, the purpose of the tribunal is to ensure that the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is successful in policing and promoting ethical advertising practices in Nigeria.

He claimed that according to specialists, the tribunal was the first of its kind in the entire world.

According to him, the government recognized that the Advertising Practitioners Act of 2004 had some modern regulatory shortcomings as a result of the passage of time since it was passed in 1988 and the development of new media, which has the potential to promote business growth, generate employment, and alter social, cultural, and economic activities.

It was for this reason, according to him, that the National Assembly approved a bill to abolish the Act and reenact the ARCON Act.

The ministry claimed that in July 2022, President Muhammadu Buhari gave the Act his approval.

He claimed that the Act recognized the shortcomings of its forerunner as well as the requirement to shield consumers from unethical, dishonest, indecent, and repulsive advertising, advertisements, and marketing communication aimed at or oriented toward the Nigerian market.

The tribunal, according to its chair, Justice Cecilia Olatoregun, is dedicated to advancing the goals of the new rule.