ARCON Mandates Influencers, Content Creators to Get Ads Approval for Social Media

In a decisive move to shield Nigerians from the proliferation of deceptive and unregistered schemes, the Federal Government has issued a new directive mandating pre-approval for all advertisements (ads) run by social media influencers, content creators, and other entities on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. This crucial approval must be secured from the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) before any such ad campaigns can be launched.

ARCON, the regulatory body responsible for advertising in Nigeria, officially announced this new requirement in a statement released on Monday. The council expressed deep concern over the escalating prevalence of false and misleading advertisements that have become rampant across various social media platforms, often luring unsuspecting citizens into fraudulent ventures with promises of unrealistic returns.

The statement, signed by ARCON Director-General, Olalekan  Fadolapo, conveyed the government’s firm stance that it will no longer passively observe the erosion of ethical standards and professional conduct within the advertising space, particularly when it directly harms Nigerian citizens. Fadolapo pointed to the recent devastating incident involving CBEX as a stark and tragic illustration of the profound damage caused by deceptive advertising practices.

The ARCON Director-General specifically referenced the CBEX saga, where an estimated 600,000 Nigerians were reportedly enticed into a fraudulent scheme through aggressive digital advertising, referrals, and word-of-mouth marketing. The collapse of CBEX has allegedly resulted in trillions of naira belonging to Nigerian investors being trapped, leading to widespread outcry and prompting intervention from the National Assembly and regulatory agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Fadolapo emphatically stressed that the regulatory purview of ARCON extends to all advertising content disseminated on digital and social media platforms. He reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring that all forms of advertising adhere to ethical standards and provide truthful information to consumers, regardless of the medium through which they are conveyed.

This new directive from the Federal Government, championed by ARCON, follows a significant legal affirmation of the council’s authority. As reported by The CABLE, a Federal High Court had previously affirmed ARCON’s powers and jurisdiction to encompass all media platforms, explicitly including digital and social media within its regulatory scope. This judicial backing strengthens ARCON’s mandate to enforce advertising regulations across the digital landscape.

The implication of this new regulation is that social media influencers and content creators will now be obligated to submit their advertising content to ARCON for scrutiny and approval before it can be published on various platforms. This pre-vetting process is intended to act as a crucial safeguard, preventing the dissemination of misleading information and protecting Nigerians from falling victim to fake and unregistered schemes that often masquerade as lucrative investment opportunities.

The Federal Government, through ARCON, is sending a clear message that it is taking decisive action to sanitize the digital advertising space and hold accountable those who use social media platforms to propagate fraudulent schemes. This move is expected to bring a greater level of accountability and transparency to online advertising, ultimately aiming to protect Nigerian citizens from financial exploitation and build trust in the digital marketplace.