APCON to sanction Sterling Bank over ‘Agege Bread’ Easter message

By our reporter| The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) on Monday said it will sanction Sterling Bank over a controversial Easter ad likening the resurrection of Jesus Christ to Agege Bread.

APCON made the disclosure via a statement signed by Olalekan Fadolapo, its registrar/chief executive.

Sterling Bank had in an Easter message posted an ad on social media platforms and also sent its customers via email which contained a picture of a golden-brown bread divided into two with the caption ‘Like Agege Bread, He Rose!”

The post sparked public outcry from Nigerians who expressed their outrage online and chided the bank for diminishing the essence of Easter.

Sterling bank later pulled down the post, and replaced it with another post apologising to its customers.

Quoting the Bible verse, John 8:7, the new post from the ban reads, “…let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone”.

“Forgive us in the spirit of Easter.”

“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.”

However, responding to the controversial post, the industry regulator said the “distasteful” advertisement was not submitted for approval by its panel.

“The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) 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 statement reads.

“The distasteful advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), 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.”