By Ade Iyamoye
The Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria (KSM), has petitioned the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), over what it described as an offensive Christmas billboard advertising a film titled A Very Dirty Christmas in Lagos.
In a letter dated December 18, 2025, and signed by the Supreme Knight, Sir Steve Adehi, SAN, the Catholic lay organisation expressed strong displeasure at the public display of the advert in what it said was a strategic, high-traffic location in Lagos.
KSM said the billboard, rendered in festive green and yellow lettering, was insensitive and made a mockery of Christmas, which it described as one of the most sacred events in the Christian calendar marking the birth of Jesus Christ.
According to the group, the advert is blasphemous and capable of offending Christians, as well as provoking anger and unrest if not urgently addressed.
“The strategic location of the billboard ensures high visibility and attention from the teeming populace.
“The effect of this distasteful and insolent advertising material on both the informed and the unwary is better imagined,” the letter stated.
The Catholic body expressed surprise that such an advert was approved by a regulatory agency, noting that its continued display had the potential to inflame passions and threaten religious harmony.
KSM urged ARCON to use its regulatory powers to ensure the immediate withdrawal of the billboard, sanction the producers and promoters of the film, and reprimand officials involved in vetting and approving the material.
The group said such measures would serve as a deterrent and help prevent a recurrence of similar incidents in the future.
“We count on your high sense of professionalism and patriotism in ensuring that this obvious threat to religious harmony and peaceful co-existence is quickly contained,” the petition added.
The Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria is a Catholic lay organisation committed to the defence of the Church’s doctrines and values.
