Stakeholders in the advertising profession have been advised against placing adverts that do not conform with the regulatory laws, as any breach of regulations would attract huge sanctions.
Olalekan Fadolapo, Director General, Advertisement Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) made the advice Tuesday, at a stakeholders meeting in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
The Director-General who was represented at the meeting by Ralph Anyacho, Director of the Northern Region of ARCON, insisted that all adverts must pass through the council before publishing.
Fadolapo further said any advertisement materials must be submitted to ARCON for pre-exposure vetting to ensure strict adherence to the regulatory standard.
“Any advertisement that is not submitted to us for vetting before exposure will attract a fine in line with the regulatory laws. The person that signed the advert and the media organisation that allowed the unapproved advertisement to be exposed will be sanctioned. We can also seal the advert or the section of the organisation that exposed the advertisement and also prosecute the parties involved in the violation,” the DG added.
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The Director General explained that no advertisement material is allowed to attack any religion, person, ethnic group, or organisation.
He added that, the council has offices across the country to monitor issues of violation and enforce adherence to advertisement standard.
“ARCON is not doing its job to stop the activities of any political party or candidates, but was aimed at ensuring adherence to standard and stability in the country.”
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State commended the council for the interactive forum to educate stakeholders on their activities.
Sule who was represented by Yakubu Lamia, the Director-General, Strategic Communications and Event Management, urged ARCON to ensure all political advertisement are devoid of falsehood, misinformation and fake news.
The meeting, which featured paper presentations as well as questions and answers session, was attended by representatives of political parties, heads of media organisations in the state, security agencies among others.
