Nigeria’s advertising regulatory bodies have started investigation to unravel the agencies and brands behind a repulsive viral video of semi-nude ladies in a see-through mobile advertisement truck along Lekki Lagos and which is circulating on social media .
The offensive mobile advertisement for a yet-to-be identified product or service was exposed and driven along Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos in a truck with registration number APP 713XL.
Condemning the advertisement, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, the apex advertising regulatory body said it has activated all necessary measures to ascertain the persons or advertising agency or agencies or organisations behind the act.
The acting registrar and CEO of APCON Ijedi Iyoha said the organisation shall also be working with other relevant government agencies and advertising stakeholders to ensure that the rule of law is applied and to further ensure that such and similar abhorrent forms of advertisements are avoided in future.
“APCON strongly condemns the advertisement which is grossly indecent, disrespectful to Nigeria’s culture and prepared with little or no sense of social responsibility. It violates the common principles of decency promoted in the Code of ethics of advertising practice and unnecessarily exploited and depicted unwholesome sexual behaviours”.
Iyoha said APCON is committed to ensure that all advertisement in Nigeria directed at the Nigerian market shall be legal, decent, honest, truthful, respectful and mindful of Nigeria’s culture, constitutional tenets and relevant lawful enactments as well as having a high sense of social responsibility.
Also, the Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN) has condemned the outdoor Mobile advertisement.
According to OAAN President, Emmanuel Ajufo, the organization does not subscribe to the show of shame on the streets of Lagos by nude or semi-nude ladies . ‘’OAAN is a responsible association and our members are disciplined and would not be involved in unprofessional campaign such as seen in the viral video.
‘’In strong terms we condemn with all sense of sincerity the indecent campaign and its content. We as an association do not subscribe to the show of shame on the streets of Lagos by ladies dresses in nudity.
The association said that it is fully ready to work with appropriate authorities to ascertain the brain behind campaign’’
Meanwhile the Lagos State Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) has said that the full weight of the law, as enshrined in the Agency’s extant law, will be meted on the company owning this erring outdoor mobile truck.
LASAA has assured members of the public that the Agency shall henceforth scrutinize activities of mobile trucks to forestall a recurrence of such an avoidable obscenity.
Daniel Obi
