The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday inaugurated the Advertising Offences Tribunal.
He said the tribunal was created to ensure success of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) in regulating and promoting effective advertising activities in Nigeria.
He said experts had described the tribunal as the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
He said the government realised there was a contemporary regulatory shortcomings in the Advertising Practitioners Act 2004 due to lapse of time since its enactment in 1988 and the evolution of new media with its attendant capacities to foster business growth, create employment and change the social, cultural, and economic activities.
He said that was why the National Assembly passed a bill to repeal the Act and re-enact the ARCON Act.
The minister said President Muhammadu Buhari signed the bill in July 2022 to life to the Act.
He said the Act took into cognizance, the inadequacies of its predecessor as well as the need to protect consumers from illegal, untruthful, dishonest, indecent, and distasteful advertising, advertisements and marketing communication directed at or targeting the Nigerian market.
The chairperson of the tribunal, Justice Cecilia Olatoregun, said it was committed to driving the objectives of the new regulation.
