ARCON is not mandated to regulate social media – Odenigbo
By Nicole Okolie
Veteran journalist and lawyer, Barrister Charles Odenigbo, has argued that the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) is not mandated to regulate social media.
Barr Odenigbo, who is an advocate of unity, justice and economic development in Nigeria, stated this during a recent ARCON event which had the theme, “Political Advertising: Leadership Responsibility & Compliance with the Law in Nigeria”.
While responding to a question as one of the panelists, Barr Odenigbo said: “Nobody is regulating social media in Nigeria. However, the bill that was recently signed into law did not indicate in any way that ARCON should regulate social media. The records need to be set straight in order to not mislead many Nigerians to start panicking.
He, however, explained that the moment a social media user picks any form of advert on Google, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook then ARCON will need to look at it, especially if it falls within the categories of items penciled for vetting by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP). He added that every advert that must be on social media has to go for vetting.
“On each social media platform, you are free to do whatever you want to do. But you may be vetted the moment you carry an advert on that particular platform.
“In INEC guidelines, there’s provision for the condition to keep tabs on social media campaigns in a proscribed form issued by the commission that will include but not limited to the following; contacts for phone number, email address, web page address and those of their sponsors and social media accounts.
“All the same, ARCON is not regulating social media; it is only going to regulate advertising that passes through social media,” Barr Odenigbo explained.
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