The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has revealed that the D’General Bitters advert, which showcases musician Davido in military attire on certain out-of-home media platforms in the country, will be flagged down.

ARCON stated that this decision was taken because the advert lacks approval from its Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) and also did not receive authorization from the Nigerian military to use its uniform before being publicly displayed.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Director General of ARCON; Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo titled “Exposure of Unapproved Advert Using Celebrity Wearing A Military General’s Uniform by D’General Bitters”.

The statement read, “The attention of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has been drawn to the advertisement of D’General Bitters using a celebrity (Davido) who wore the uniform of a military general being exposed on the OOH media.

“Upon application seeking approval to advertise, ARCON’s Advertising Standards Panel (ASP) requested the advertising agency to seek for and obtain approval of the Nigerian military authority to use its military outfit for the purpose of advertisement. Neither the authorization of the Nigerian military for the use of its uniform nor the approval of the ASP was obtained before the said D’General Bitters advertisement was exposed”.

The regulatory authority emphasized that using military or paramilitary uniforms in advertisements is against the law unless formal approval is obtained from the relevant authorities.

“This is to reiterate that it is illegal to use the uniforms of military personnel, Nigerian police, NYSC, or that of any other paramilitary agency for an advertisement without formal approval from the concerned authority,” it stated.

The council affirmed its dedication to overseeing advertising activities in the nation and pledged to work closely with law enforcement agencies to bring legal action against individuals or corporate entities that display unauthorized advertisements without proper approval.

“ACRON will prosecute any person or corporate body who sponsors, causes to be exposed, or exposes unapproved advertisements on any medium without approval in line with the Nigerian code of advertising. ARCON will continue to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies to stem this tide and ensure sanity in the Nigerian Advertising Industry,” it emphasized.