Niger State Bans Obscene Advertising of Traditional Medicines During Ramadan

By Awwal Umar Kontagora The Niger State Government has banned the use of obscene language and indecent images in the advertiseme...

By Awwal Umar Kontagora

The Niger State Government has banned the use of obscene language and indecent images in the advertisement of traditional medicines across the state, effective from the first day of Ramadan.

The announcement was made on Saturday evening by the Director-General of the Niger State Bureau for Religious Affairs, Dr. Umar Farooq Abdallah, following a meeting with leaders of traditional medicine practitioners at the Legbo Kutigi National Conference Hall in Minna.

Dr. Abdallah said the ban covers the use of loudspeakers, microphones, and recorded audio messages containing vulgar expressions, as well as the display of inappropriate images on medicine packaging.

“The government is not against traditional medicine. In fact, traditional healing has its place, even in Islam, as every disease has a cure,” he said.

However, he expressed concern over the growing trend of indecent and offensive promotional methods adopted by some vendors, describing them as unacceptable and contrary to public morality.

“There are practices in the way some traditional medicines are advertised that are not acceptable to any reasonable person. We have previously engaged with them, but the situation did not improve,” he stated.

Dr. Abdallah explained that the state government has now strengthened enforcement measures by mandating the Hisbah Committee to work in collaboration with security agencies to ensure compliance.

“From the first day of Ramadan, the use of obscene words in advertisements across the state is prohibited. This includes those who move around in vehicles using loudspeakers and offensive language,” he said.

He clarified that seeking treatment from traditional or Islamic herbal practitioners is not a crime, provided the promotion and delivery of such services respect public decency and the rights of others.

According to him, violators of the directive will face sanctions.

The Director-General noted that the meeting with leaders of traditional medicine vendors was convened to formally communicate the government’s decision and ensure that the message is conveyed to members of the association.

He emphasised that the ban is not limited to Minna but applies to all 25 local government areas of the state.