In its bid to walk its talk of reforms in the nation’s integrated marketing communications industry, the federal government has announced the inauguration of a five-man Advertising Offences Tribunal that will handle cases regarding ad infractions in the country.
In a statement at the weekend, the nation’s apex regulatory body, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) said that the Tribunal, which will be headed by Justice Cecilia M.A. Olatoregun (rtd.), will adjudicate over offences created under Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No 23 of 2022, Code of Advertising Practice, Standard of Practice, Proclamation, and other relevant enactments made pursuant to the Act.
It described the tribunal as an independent specialized judicial body, established with the aim of ensuring equity, openness, fairness and impartiality in all disputes and offences committed or allegedly committed under the Act.
The tribunal, ARCON added, will also advocate speedy hearing and timely resolution of all matters before it.
According to the regulatory body, Justice Olatoregun, who was appointed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in line with Section 34 of the Act, served meritoriously as a Judge of the Federal High Court from July 2000 to November 2019.
Before her appointment to the bench, she was the Chief Registrar and Admiralty Marshal of the Federal High Court from November 1998 to July 2000.
As an administrative Judge, she supervised 11 judges in the Lagos Division and presided over four divisions of the Federal High Court at different times.
Other members of the tribunal are a registered advertising practitioner/lawyer, Mr Charles Odenigbo; amother legal practitioner, Mr Moroof Aileru; ARCON Fellow/Founding partner of SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi, Mrs Julia Oku Jacks; and President, National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria, Mr Idorenyen Enang.
