With grave concern, I condemn the display of a flex banner at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport, Abuja advertising the citizenship of other countries with the inscription “obtain and enjoy the citizenship of Vanuatu, Grenada and Turkey” with further information such as the website and phone numbers.
On 10th of August, 2022, I was at the airport where I observed the flagrant display of the flex banner at the International departure section of the airport.
The airport is the gateway in and out of the country, and it speaks volumes about our image. Therefore, the conspicuous placement of such adverts at the airport is not only indecent but quite unpatriotic.
Emigrating temporarily or permanently is one of the fundamental human rights of every citizen in a democratic nation like Nigeria, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 in Article 13.
However, it leaves much to be desired if Nigerians are being enticed, induced or even deceived to dump their fatherland for other countries through citizenship adverts in the public facility.
I doubt if Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) or the Department of Outdoor Advertising and Signage, an agency of the Federal Capital Territory Authority endorsed this advert or the placement at the international departure section of the airport.
As it were, one of the mandates of APCON or any signage agency is to ensure “that every advertisement shall be honest, legal, decent and truthful”. The aforesaid is not decent enough for a country which needs its skilled workers as a bastion of development.
Apart from the unsuitability of the advert at one of the busiest airports in Nigeria, it is distasteful to know a public facility is now an avenue for traveling agencies to promote their trade which, possibly, could be an attempt to fleece innocent Nigerians.
Nigeria is no doubt passing through a turbulent period but we cannot be too hopeful or too optimistic of a better Nigeria. The information online on emigrating from one country to another as well as the sponsored posts/adverts of traveling agents/agencies should be enough for anyone who wishes to leave the country. Thus, outdoor advertising of such particularly at the airport is untoward and condemnable.
I hereby call on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Ministry of Aviation and the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed to ensure that our airports or public facilities do not serve as avenues to promote unverified, unsuitable, unapproved, indecent or unpatriotic products or services.
Otunba Adejare Adegbenro
dejare.adegbenro@gmail.com.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We will be using Tinubu’s O lu’le, emi lo kan, eleyi for politics — Obasanjo
NIGERIA’S former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has introduced new vocabulary into the nation’s political discourse….
Oyo Council Of Obas Backs Makinde’s Second-Term Bid
THE second term bid of Governor ‘Seyi Makinde of Oyo State received a massive boost on Friday, as the Council of Obas in the state declared its support for the governor, stating that the good works being done by the administration across the state should continue beyond 2023.…..
5 Software Applications You Should Master To Be Effective In The Corporate World
There are new software applications that individuals in the corporate world are expected to have mastery of as the world is evolving on a daily basis, and the required skills for individuals interested in or working in the corporate world have also evolved. These software applications have been developed to help make work in the corporate world easier, more effective and more efficient…
How To Minimise Disagreements When Planning A Wedding
A lot of effort goes into planning a wedding. From the choice of event centres to the choice of the bride and groom’s wears, to the picking a colour for invited guests to the decision on the meals to be served for the day, and so on.…
and then