Advertising Offences Tribunal holds equal judicial powers on advertising offences – Experts
The jurisdiction of the Advertising Offences Tribunal (AOT), which had previously been unclear to some stakeholders, has now been affirmed by legal experts and key players in the advertising, who recognise the tribunal as a coordinate court with the power to adjudicate advertising-related offences.
The tribunal was inaugurated in May 2023 by the Federal Government to deal with violations of the provisions of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON.
Some legal experts who spoke at the “The Nigerian Advertising Law: The role of the AOT” at the Town-Hall meeting on Tuesday, in Lagos organized by ARCON in conjunction with Nigerian Bar Association, NBA Lawyers in the Media, NBA-LIM affirmed that AOT rulings carry the same judicial weight as those of other courts of equal status.
This clarification clears previous doubts in some circles about the tribunal’s authority to handle advertising-related disputes. The speakers said that the judgement of the tribunal are appealable to Court of Appeal.
Speaking at the forum, Charles Odenigbo, Director General of Centre for Media Law and Development who urged business people to take advantage of the provisions of the law, called for compliance of the provisions of the law.
“It is very clear about the jurisdiction of the AOT under section 37, but every Nigerian must be conversant with section 34 that deals with the offences”.
According to him, the objective of the Town- Hall between lawyers and the advertising community was to bring lawyers in the media, entertainment, film production, creatives and advertisers together to create awareness about the AOT.
“We cannot afford to leave lawyers out there doing their own things without bringing them back into this very critical area” of understanding the AOT and implications of violations of the law.
In his keynote address, Akinlolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN said the establishment of the AOT is not just a legal reform—it is a statement of national intent. “It signals that Nigeria will not leave its people at the mercy of deceptive adverts, unregulated influencers, or exploitative practices”.
Represented by Leke Kehinde, he said AOT plays a vital role in advertising ecosystem: it protects consumers, deters misconduct, regulates digital spaces, preserves industry integrity, and demonstrates constitutional innovation. It is a global first, but more importantly, it is a Nigerian solution to Nigerian challenges, he said.
Also speaking, Justice C.M.A. Olatoregun who is Chairman of Advertising Offences Tribunal, AOT said the tribunal had a total of 266 cases but has dispensed 201 while 65 cases are pending.
Describing AOT as a gatekeeper, Olatoregun promised that the tribunal will deliver on its mandate.
She said that the AOT represents a systemic evolution that is embedding truth and accountability into the very structure of Nigeria’s advertising environment.
She further called on lawyers in the media space to grow with the tribunal and grow the tribunal.
In his speech, Lekan Fadolapo said Nigeria practices preventive advertising regulation, which requires advertisement approval before exposure of the material. He also insisted that Advertising Standard Panel engages in message regulation and not media regulation.
Also, in the digital space “what we regulate in the digital media space is just the advertising element and what we do is ensure that there is sanity in that space”
Fadolapo recounted offensive advertisements by some organisations which ARCON stopped without which they would have caused social unrest.
For Lanre Adisa, Chairman of Heads of Advertising Sectoral Groups, HASG, feels that the desire is for self-regulation so that practitioners do not need such regulations to operate. He said the fear is the feeling by people of being strangulated by too many laws. He however called for more awareness of the advertising laws to ensure compliance.
“Awareness within our industry, and awareness even outside of here. A lot of people who are creating advertising online, in particular, don’t have enough knowledge of what is going on. In advertising, when I’m aware of something, I know what to do”, he said.
Lanre who commended ARCON moves to ensure sanity and ensure advertising decency said there must be a balance between regulation and the use of technology to ensure that there is efficiency. He said practitioners must feel that they are not been held back with regulation.
Investment
FG welcomes $2bn Shell new offshore final investment decision
The Federal Government has welcomed Shell Nigeria’s $2 billion Final Investment Decision (FID) for a new offshore project in Nigeria’s HI Field, located in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 144, approximately 50 kilometres offshore.
The significant investment was communicated to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, by the Country Chair of Shell Nigeria, Marno de Jong.
A statement by Nneamaka Okafor, Special Adviser, Media and Communications to the Minister on Tuesday, said the development represented another major milestone in the nation’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the energy sector and boost production.
The FID was taken out between Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) and Sunlink Energies Resources Limited.
It marks a strong demonstration of confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas investment climate and the government’s commitment to driving sustainable energy growth.
Lokpobiri described the development as a direct outcome of the bold reforms and transformative policies implemented by the federal government, which continued to enhance Investors’ confidence and attract substantial capital inflows into oil and gas industry.
“This two billion dollars investment reaffirms Nigeria’s position as a preferred destination for energy investment and highlights the value of collaboration
“We anticipate that more Final Investment Decisions from other investors will follow in the coming months as confidence in our sector continues to grow,” he said.
He reiterated the federal government’s commitment to foster an enabling environment for investment, ensuring that the benefits of such strategic partnerships translate into increase national prosperity and sustainable energy development.
