Trending 
A viral post circulating on social media, especially on X, claims Nigeria has become the first country to ban “white & British models” in all advertising. The post includes the quote: “We have 200M beautiful people here… we will use our own.”
The claim, shared by the account Wild Videos, has generated about 1 million views and was reposted by American entrepreneur Elon Musk, drawing more than 8 million views.
What We Found
The claim is not new. It first emerged in 2022 after a directive by the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). The same narrative is now resurfacing in 2026, but there has been no new announcement or updated policy.
In August 2022, ARCON stated that it “bans the use of foreign models and voice-over artists on any advertisement targeted or exposed on the Nigerian advertising space with effect from 1st October 2022.”
ARCON noted that the directive is “in line with the Federal Government’s policy of developing local talent, inclusive economic growth and the need to take necessary steps and actions aimed at growing the Nigerian advertising industry.”
The directive added that “All advertisements, advertising and marketing communications materials are to make use of only Nigerian model and voice-over artist.”
The Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria’s president at the time, Steve Babaeko, also affirmed the validity of the ban in a statement to The Times after the official announcement.
Babaeko said, “Ten to twenty years ago, if you checked the commercials, I would say they were almost 50/50 in terms of foreign faces and all the voiceovers were British accents.
“I think the law is just catching up with national sentiment. As long as maybe eight years ago you would notice some kind of renaissance in Nigeria.
“People will tell you, ‘There are about 200 million of us. Are you telling me you could not find indigenous models for this commercial?'”
What the Claim Gets Wrong
Some foreign and social media reports phrased it as a ban on “white and British models” because, before the rule, many Nigerian adverts featured foreign faces and British-accented voiceovers.
However, the law itself does not single out white or British people by race or nationality; it applies to all non-Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity.
Verdict
The claim is misleading.
