Afrigather The Selling Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), on Monday said this could well sanction Sterling Financial institution over its offensive Easter message.
In an announcement signed by Olalekan Fadolapo, its Chief Govt, the regulatory body said “The distasteful advertisement used to be neither submitted nor authorized for exposure by the Selling Requirements Panel” sooner than the bank place it out on its social media platforms.
APCON renowned that ASP used to be the “statutory panel charged with the accountability of guaranteeing that classified ads conform to the present authorized pointers of the federation apart from the code of ethics of advertising and marketing in Nigeria.”
The regulator promised to “desire mandatory actions to make certain that that sterling bank is sanctioned for the exposure of such offensive advertisment in step with regulation and that no non secular belief or faith is ridiculed or any blasphemous advertisment uncovered in any guise.”
The regulators extra alleged that the bank “engaged a ‘roadside’ consultant to invent the copy that has been chanced on to decide on up breached the advertising and marketing regulation in Nigeria.”
Sterling Financial institution had within the wake of the Easter party place out a contentious message, likening the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the popular Agege bread.
The pass used to be a failed try and plan a parallel between the resurrection, which Christians decide up time on Easter Day, and the rising of bread when heated.
Despite its sweetness, health officers decide up within the past labeled Agege bread to be unhealthy for consumption due to the claims that it contains bromate, which has been widely regarded as harmful to human health.
Potassium bromate is a white crystalline odorless substance, which used to be mature as a meals additive until it used to be chanced on to be carcinogenic.
The Nationwide Company for Meals, Drug Administration and Preserve watch over (NAFDAC), Nigeria’s regulatory body for treatment, meals, and chemicals, prohibited its exhaust in bread in 2004 due to the its toxicity and carcinogenicity in humans.
On the different hand, the Easter message which sparked outrage amongst Nigerians, forced the bank to concern an apology, which didn’t soothe many Nigerians who believed that the pass wasn’t accurate.
