FG Set To Impose N100,000 Fine On Brands Running Advert On CNN

Lai Mohammed, who is the Minister of Information and Culture has stated that brands that create their adverts abroad but broadcast them on CNN and other international stations broadcasting in Nigeria will pay a fine of N100,000 each time such adverts are run.

Mohammed revealed this on NTA’s ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ as one of the rules included in the Broadcasting Code which has been rejected by many in the industry.

According to Mohammed, “Let’s assume you have brought in La Liga, and during the matches, Guinness is advertised, we will compel you, we will compel Guinness to also advertise when we are playing a local league. That is the only way we can grow this industry but as can be expected, we have had very few supporters”.

The Minister added that,  “If you do an advert in South Africa, you put it on CNN and we look at that advert and we see that the advert was not made in Nigeria but actually made in South Africa, or you see that five times a day, it is on CNN, you pay half a million to us. The half a million will go to the Content Development Fund”.

Mohammed stated that this policy would ensure that Multichoice would no longer have the monopoly of broadcasting the English Premier League.

Mohammed made it known that, “Gulder is made, processed in Nigeria. If you go to South Africa to produce an advert which you are going to air to Nigerians because Nigerians consume Gulder, what we have amended the code to say is that for every time that advert is aired in Nigeria either on radio or television, you pay a fine of N100,000. We are not stopping you from making your production in America or South Africa but if you are going to advertise in Nigerian territory, you will pay a fine of N100,000″.