By Elvira Jordan
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, has warned media organisations that default in advertising regulations that they risk fines of one million naira and above, with unpaid penalties potentially leading to prosecution before the Advertising Offences Tribunal.
The Director, Southern Region of ARCON, Martha Onyebuchi, gave the warning in Port Harcourt during the 2026 Advertising Stakeholder Summit ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the theme, Political Campaign Regulations And Compliance In Nigeria Electoral System..
Onyebuchi said violation letters are issued to media houses that breach ARCON rules, while organisations that fail to pay the resulting fines are referred to the Advertising Offences Tribunal.
She urged media owners, advertising practitioners and advertisers to ensure that every advertisement presented for publication or broadcast carries an Advertising Standards Panel certificate of approval.
According to her, advertisements exposed to the public must be legal, decent, honest and truthful, while claims made in advertisements must be supported by empirical evidence.
She also appealed to advertising practitioners and members of the public to report advertisements containing hate speech, disparaging statements, spurious claims or false information to ARCON for necessary action.
The engagement was organised in partnership with the Advertising Practitioners Association, Port Harcourt Chapter, to educate stakeholders on the importance of vetting advertising materials before they are exposed to the public, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 elections intensify.
Chairman of the Advertising Practitioners Association, Port Harcourt Chapter, Dike Lawrence Bekwele, said the initiative was aimed at helping political stakeholders understand the need to subject their advertising materials to the required vetting process.
Bekwele said some political actors put pressure on advertising practitioners and media platforms to expose materials without adequate vetting.
He said the Advertising Law 2022 provides for the vetting of advertising materials through the Advertising Standards Panel before exposure, covering both traditional and online platforms.
Bekwele explained that advertisers are expected to engage registered advertising practitioners to assist with the vetting process and submit applications to the regulator.
He said the process could be completed through the normal procedure or accelerated options, depending on how quickly an advertiser requires approval, but stressed that materials must be vetted before exposure.
He said responsible advertising was important to protect consumers and prevent the circulation of false, fake or insensitive materials capable of creating tension, including religious or political conflicts.
Bekwele also said the regulatory framework extends to commercially oriented online advertisements, adding that ARCON is working with major technology platforms, including X and Meta, to monitor online advertising and guard against infringements.
He further said the engagement also involved universities and other tertiary institutions, with the aim of preparing students for emerging trends and contemporary issues in advertising, particularly political advertising ahead of the 2027 elections.
ARCON urged stakeholders to ensure that all advertisements meet regulatory requirements before they are published, broadcast or displayed.
