TLDR: The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has issued a strong public warning regarding a fraudulent, AI-generated advertisement circulating on social media, particularly Facebook. The deceptive ad uses the image and voice of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to promote a Ponzi scheme, which ARCON has confirmed is fake, unauthorized, and designed to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians. The council emphasized that the advertisement was never vetted or approved and that legal sanctions await those involved in its creation and dissemination.
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has sounded a critical alarm, cautioning the public against a sophisticated, artificial intelligence-generated advertisement that falsely features President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This fraudulent campaign, primarily observed on platforms like Facebook, is designed to lure citizens into a deceptive Ponzi scheme. ARCON’s Director-General, Dr. Olalekan Fadolapo, confirmed that preliminary investigations revealed the advertisement was entirely computer/AI-generated, lacking any official approval for exposure within Nigeria. The statement, dated September 22, 2025, explicitly clarified that President Tinubu had no involvement in the advertisement, nor did he authorize the use of his image or voice to promote any investment scheme.
Dr. Fadolapo underscored that the advertisement failed to undergo the mandatory pre-exposure vetting process by ARCON’s Advertising Standards Panel (ASP), a requirement stipulated by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria Act No. 23 of 2022. This Act serves as a crucial safeguard, ensuring that all advertisements are decent, truthful, legal, and socially responsible, free from misinformation, disinformation, and unsubstantiated claims.
ARCON’s warning comes amidst escalating global concerns regarding the misuse of deepfake technology and other AI tools for fraudulent purposes in various sectors, including finance and marketing. Experts worldwide have highlighted the growing risk of malicious actors weaponizing AI to mislead the public, manipulate perceptions, and orchestrate large-scale financial scams. The Nigerian regulatory body reiterated its commitment to upholding its mandate under the 2022 Act, which grants it extensive powers to vet, monitor, and sanction advertising practices across the Nigerian market.
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In addition to warning the public, ARCON has issued a stern directive to media owners, including traditional, digital, and social media platforms. These entities are legally obligated to demand and obtain a vetting Certificate of Approval from ARCON before exposing any advertisement targeted at the Nigerian market. Violators of these provisions will face severe sanctions in accordance with the law. This incident is not isolated, as similar cases involving AI-generated images and voices of prominent figures like Pastor Enoch Adeboye and Mr. Seun Okinbaloye have been recorded, used with malicious intent to promote various fraudulent schemes, including fake health cures and investment scams. ARCON is intensifying its efforts to monitor and prosecute those responsible for spreading such misleading content, urging the public to report any suspicious advertisements.
