By Joseph Edegbo –
The Advertising Practitioners Council Of Nigeria (APCON) is set to push for the sanction of Sterling Bank over offensive Easter advertisement.
Reports say Sterling Bank, without approval from APCON, published an advert comparing the resurrection of Jesus Christ with Agege Bread.
The distasteful advert from Sterling Bank, according to APCON, was not approved by them and that Sterling Bank must be sanctioned.
According to the Registrar/Chief Executive of APCON, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, Sterling Bank went contrary to the ethics of the advertisement and should be punished.
“The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) has observed with displeasure the insensitive and provocative Easter celebration advertisement by Sterling Bank Plc which compared the resurrection of Christ with Agege Bread.
“The distasteful advertisement (by Sterling Bank) was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), the statutory Panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisements conform with the prevailing laws of the federation as well as the code of ethics of Advertising in Nigeria,” APCON said of the Sterling Bank advert.
“APCON will take necessary actions to ensure that Sterling Bank is sanctioned for the exposure of such offensive advertisement according to law and that no religious belief or faith is ridiculed or any blasphemous advertisement exposed in any guise,” Fadolapo said.