The Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria (APCON), Monday, threatened to take necessary steps to ensure that Sterling Bank is sanctioned for its provocative advert which compared Jesus Christ with Agege bread in its Easter messages to customers.
This comes hours after the bank tendered an apology for its Shnday post “Like Agege Bread, He rose. Happy Easter,” a that elicited rage from Christian faithfuls nationwide.
In a statement signed by its Registrar, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, on Sunday, APCON noted that the regulating body did not approve the advert.
The statement read in part, “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 an offensive advertisement according to law. No religious belief or faith is ridiculed or any blasphemous advertisement exposed in any guise.”
Following wide condemnation from Nigerians all over social media to the post, the bank deleted the post and tweeted.
“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 bank wrote on Sunday.
The picture attached to the new message reads, “For our recent errors, we sincerely apologise. Forgive us in the spirit of Easter!”
It further cited a verse in the Bible, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.”