Marketing Communications guru, Mr Chido Nwakanma Monday counseled Sterling Bank Management to throw its Corporate Communications team overboard at the earliest possible time if they wish to plead ignorance of its distasteful advertising during Easter which ridiculed the resurrected body of Christ by comparing Him to Agege bread. 



"Unless they are equally complicit, the Management of Sterling Bank should clear its Corporate Comms team on Tuesday Everyone involved in preparing and placing that obnoxious ad that pokes noxious fingers into the eyes of all Christians in Nigeria should not be involved in communications one day extra", Mr Nwakanma stated on his Social media arm. 


Mr Nwakanma began his post thus: Have you seen the obnoxious and insulting ad? A corporate entity such as Sterling Bank signs off on an ad. that compares the basis of the Christian faith to Agege Bread. It is the height of idiocy! It is an offensive joke" 

He affirmed the resurrection of Christ as the foundation of Christianity, thus Blaze comparisons in the name of creativity are offensive. He further waved aside Sterling Bank's apology tagging it a 'non-apology', which contrary to its intent conveys that they are not sorry.

 The Marketing Communications strategist recalls that Sterling Bank committed a similar offence in 2018 with its "In shooting for the moon, men become stars" ad for which according to him " It similarly apologised "Is that the Sterling Bank tradition? Put two feet in the mouth and then say sorry? Not good at all", he submitted 

Dailyledger.com.ng reports that Sterling Bank trended on conventional and social media on Easter Monday, April 18 as they all announced that: 'Sterling Bank Faces APCON Sanction, over 'Agege bread' Easter Advert'

 In the stories, Advertising Practitioners Council Of Nigeria, APCON was quoted as saying that it would wield the big stick against Sterling Bank for running a 'distasteful' advertisement during the Easter celebration which not only fell below standards, but equally ran foul of the Council's regulations as it by-passed vetting and approval before exposure. 

APCON's Registrar/Chief Executive of APCON, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo had in a terse statement stated that the Council had observed with displeasure the insensitive and provocative Easter advertisement by Sterling Bank Plc which compared the resurrected body of Christ with Agege bread, and noted that the advert material did not go through the processes for approval.

 According to the apex advertising regulator's rules, every advertising must ensure that "...no religious belief or faith is ridiculed or any blasphemous advertisement exposed in any guise" 

 Dr Fadolapo added that  “The distasteful advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), the statutory panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisements conform to the prevailing laws of the Federation as well as the code of ethics of advertising in Nigeria.”