The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria, APCON, says it will sanction Sterling Bank over an offensive post it flagged which likened Jesus Christ’s resurrection to the rise of Agege bread in its Easter advert.
APCON, the advertising regulatory agency made this known in a press release signed by Olalekan Fadolapo, its registrar/chief executive, on Monday.
Recall that in celebration of Easter, Sterling Bank had posted an Easter advert on social media platforms and also sent its customers via email.
Describing the action of the bank as a provocative Easter celebration advertisement, APCON said it will ensure that the bank is sanctioned for such an offensive advertisement.
The statement read, “The Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON) has observed with displeasure the insensitive and provocative Easter celebration advertisement by Sterling Bank Plc which compared to the resurrection of Christ with Agege Bread.
“The distasteful advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the advertising standard panel (ASP), the statutory Panel charge with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisement conforms 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.”
The message contained a picture of a golden-brown bread divided into two with the caption ‘Like Agege Bread, He Rose!”
Agege bread is a popular Nigerian bread known for its soft, stretchy and chewy texture.
The post sparked public criticism from Nigerians who expressed their outrage online.
Many chided the bank for diminishing the essence of Easter, while some found the post funny.
