Sterling Bank Faces APCON Sanctions Over Controversial ‘Agege Bread’ Easter Message

The advertising industry regulators, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON),
says it will sanction Sterling Bank over a controversial Easter ad likening the resurrection of Jesus Christ to Agege Bread.

Olalekan Fadolapo, the Registrar/Chief Executive of the body made the revelation in a statement released on Monday.

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

The message generated lots of reactions with many Nigerians condemning the message and describing it as insensitive.

Apologising to it’s customers after pulling down the “Agege bread message”, the bank quoted a Bible verse, John 8:7, which reads, “…let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone”.

“Forgive us in the spirit of Easter,” the bank added.

“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.”

But despite the retraction, APCON in the statement said, “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.”