Sterling bank to face sanction over controversial Easter message
A top Nigerian commercial bank, Sterling Bank, is facing sanctions after sending out a controversial Easter advert, in which they compared Jesus Christ’s resurrection to Agege Bread.
Olalekan Fadolapo, the Registrar/Chief Executive of The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) made this known in a statement.
In the statement, Fadolapo said it observed with displeasure the insensitive and provocative Easter celebration advertisement posted on social media.
The council said the advertisement was not submitted for approval by its panel and would be sanctioned for the “distasteful” message.
The statement reads: “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 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 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.”