As part of effort to ensure that advertising industry is sanitized, the Federal Government has constituted the Advertising Offences Tribunal and appointed a chairman and four other members to 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.
The Tribunal is an independent specialised judicial body
established to ensure equity, openness, fairness and impartiality in all
dispute and offences committed or allegedly committed under the Act.
The Tribunal will advocate speedy hearing and timely resolution
of all matters before it.
The Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed acting in line with section 38 of the Act appointed Honourable
Justice Cecilia M. A. Olatoregun (rtd) as the Chairman of the tribunal.
Justice Olatoregun 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
oversaw 11 Judges in the Lagos Division and presided over 4 divisions of the
Federal High Court at different times.
She is a member of the international Association of Women
Judges in Nigeria, Commonwealth Magistrate and Judges Association, among
others. Justice Olatoregun has facilitated and delivered papers at conferences
and seminars, within and outside the country. By this appointment, she becomes
the Tribunal’s first Chairman.
The other four members of the Tribunal are Mr. Charles Odenigbo,
Mr. Moroof Aileru Esq, Mrs. Julia Oku Jacks, and Mr. Idorenyen Enang.
Mr. Charles Odenigbo is a Registered Advertising
Practitioner, and former Executive Secretary of the Newspapers Proprietors
Association of Nigeria (NPAN), an advertising, entertainment, and media law
expert with almost three decades of experience in law practice. Mr. Odenigbo
was recently appointed as the Alternate Chairman of the Media and Creative
Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA). He is the Director General of Centre
for Media Law and Development.
Mr. Moroof Aileru, a legal practitioner with over twenty
(20] years post call experience in litigation. A member of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA), he is vastly experienced in arbitration, corporate law
practice and litigation.
Mrs. Julia Oku Jacks, a Fellow of the profession. She is one
of the founding partners of SO&U Saatchi & Saatchi. Mrs. Jack is one of
the distinguished and respected female practitioners in the Nigeria Advertising
industry.
She has over three decades worked experience in academics,
advertising and marketing communications. She has chaired several industry
creative awards and has facilitated several training courses within and outside
the industry.
Mr. Idorenyen Enang, a Fellow of the profession and former
President of the Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN).
He is currently the President of the National Institute of
Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).
Mr. Enang served as marketing Director and Chief Executive
Officer of several multinational companies and has held senior positions on the
board of several global organizations within and outside the country.