Lekki Gardens got caught following the rules

The regulator had been watching for years. Nobody told the company until the night they called its name.

For years, someone had been going through Lekki Gardens’ adverts.

Every billboard. Every radio spot. Every social media post about a new estate. Every price, every picture, every claim about a location or a handover date. The company was not told. There was nothing to prepare for. The watching simply went on in the background, advert after advert, approval after approval.

On Friday, 23 October, the watcher revealed itself.

At the ARCON Special Recognition Awards (ASRA) 2026, held at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria announced what it had found. Lekki Gardens was recognised for advertising compliance in the Real Estate and Properties category.

There was no entry form for this one. ARCON’s Secretariat reviewed every eligible advertisement it had vetted in the period under review and shortlisted the advertisers with the highest volumes of approved work in each sector. The finalists were put through technical assessment, a jury and final ratification, and an independent audit firm verified the process. In other words, the company was caught. Caught getting approval before running. Caught keeping its promises within the lines. Caught doing it again and again until the volume alone stood out.

Mr Oluwole Ntia, Lekki Gardens’ Group Head of Marketing Operations, received the award, and he is not surprised by what the regulator found.

“Since joining Lekki Gardens, what has struck me most is that compliance here is not a department. It is in the DNA of the business,” he said. “From the technical teams to audit and finance, every unit works to internal standards built on globally accepted practice, and we hold to them whether anyone is watching or not. That culture comes from the top. Our CEO, Dr Richard Nyong, has always insisted that we do things well, do things right and protect the resources our customers entrust to us. So it is no surprise that we keep being recognised for it.”

ARCON themed the evening “An Evening of Many Honours,” and its Director-General, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, said the awards were designed to recognise professionalism and contributions to the advertising ecosystem. Among the other honourees were Coca-Cola, Airtel, Fidelity Bank and Peak.

Whether anyone is watching or not. That is the line worth remembering, because this time someone was.

Lekki Gardens got caught. It would like to be caught again.