The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, has said that it is currently reviewing relevant laws with a view to dispensing the stipulated punishment to Sterling Bank over its provocative and insensitive Easter Celebration advert.
Earlier, the apex advertising regulatory body had called out the commercial bank for allegedly demeaning the resurrection of Jesus Christ by comparing it to the rising of Agege bread.
It was also reported that the Christian Association of Nigeria, in response to the provoking advert, had demanded the immediate sack of Sterling Bank CEO, Abubakar Suleiman.
CAN, in a statement signed on Wednesday by the National Secretary, Joseph Daramola, stated that the advert was “wicked and insensitive” towards Christians.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Punch, APCON CEO/Registrar, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said the Advertising Council was still weighing up the relevant laws in order to determine the stipulated punishment to the bank for breaching the laid down advertising canons in the country.
He said, “We have a law guiding advertising in Nigeria: the APCON law and the Code of Advertising. What we are going to do is look at the code and the sections that have been violated, as stipulated by the law. We will apply the sanction as stipulated by the law.”
CAN had on Wednesday urged Christians not to take the law into their hands even as it asked them to be wary of financial institutions they patronise.
It also demanded the sacking of the Chief Executive of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, over the bank’s controversial Easter advert .
CAN made this known in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Joseph Daramola, and titled, ‘CAN Condemns Provocative, Insensitive Advertisement of Sterling Bank’.
Sterling Bank over the weekend had posted a puffed, golden-brown, halved Agege Bread with the caption, ‘Like Agege Bread, He Rose… Happy Easter’.
Many social media users had slammed the bank over the denigratory comparison and the bank had deleted the posts on its social media handles.
The bank subsequently uploaded another copy of an opened tomb significant of Christ’s departure from the grave and added the caption, ‘…let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone’ but the apology was rejected by many.
The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria had also said it would sanction the bank for the provocative advert.
Reacting in its statement, CAN said the copy by Sterling Bank was “ungodly, wicked, insensitive and deliberately provocative”.
The Christian body had added, “The purported apology did not come from a penitent heart. How can someone in his right mind describe the risen Christ as a loaf of bread? That is insulting, ridiculous and a mockery of Jesus Christ. We advised Christians to be wary of the banks and other financial institutions they are patronising.
“We learnt that the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria has reportedly intervened in the matter with a view to impose some sanctions against Sterling Bank. The Christian Association of Nigeria is waiting for the decision of the organisation.
“However, in the interim, we call for the immediate removal of the Chief Executive of Sterling Bank; Mr. Abubakar Suleiman with his Management whose actions have clearly shown their hostility and hatred for the Christian faith.
“We call on all Christians not to take the law into their hands in seeking redress, but to let the relevant authorities handle the matter.”
The bank had been slammed on Twitter after its Easter message to Nigerians was considered offensive and insensitive.
Its message was considered offensive by many who wondered if Sterling Bank was equating bread with Jesus Who is the reason for the Easter season.
The bank later pulled down the message from its social media pages and issued another one that said, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. We humbly celebrate His resurrection, the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.”
The new message was accompanied by a flyer that contained an apology which many also found offensive and insincere.
“…let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone. For our recent errors, we sincerely apologise. Forgive us in the spirit of Easter,” the bank wrote.
A Twitter user identified as @Oyoyonwa1 said, “Seriously? Let him who has not sinned cast the first stone? And this is supposed to be some kind of apology? Who approves these things?”
@dinaudoh said, “You need to overhaul your creative department as these Easter posts have been in bad taste, insensitive and rather disturbing. For a bank that claims to care to be about each customer, you shouldn’t disparage any religion or its symbols. DO BETTER!!!”
@NwaezeMma said, “Your apology is not sincere. Try it with other religion and see. Do right.”
@AdaGOkoli wrote, “If this is an apology, then it will not rise with Nigerians.”
@Moolaoye said, “Whoever told you that forgiveness is by arrogance and not by repentance. This is not a message to seek forgiveness but a message to justify! Don’t send a message that you know nothing about. #blaspehemous.”
APCON had on Monday described the advert as offensive and provocative, saying the advert copy was not submitted for approval before it was made public.
In a statement on Monday signed by its Registrar and Chief Executive, Olalekan Fadolapo, APCON said the advert was distasteful, noting that Sterling Bank Plc would be punished for the action.
APCON condemned the action of the bank which it said was blasphemous.
The statement was titled, ‘Sterling Bank Agege Bread Easter Advertisement’
It read, “The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria 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, 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.”
