The Story⚡
Four years after her contract ended, Mercy Johnson says her face is still on Power Oil’s billboards. Now, thousands of Nigerians are helping her find every one.
Tell Me More
On 28 September 2026, Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson Okojie posted on Instagram after spotting a Power Oil billboard featuring her image at Nana Plaza in Wuse 2, Abuja. She stated that her endorsement contract with the brand had expired four years earlier, yet her likeness continued to appear on billboards, buses, and other advertising materials. According to her, the company had neither paid her nor sought fresh consent for the continued use.
In her posts, she asked followers to record any Power Oil adverts still carrying her face, noting the date, time and location. She also directed the brand to check its direct messages and respond to her team, adding that she did not want the matter to “play in dirty waters.” She later shared footage from the original campaign she had filmed for the company and questioned whether the same practice would be applied to an Indian artist, a pointed reference to the brand’s parent-group origins.
Crowdsourced Evidence Grows
The post quickly gathered tens of thousands of likes and nearly 1,500 comments. Followers began reporting sightings in places including Enugu, Onitsha and Ilasan, Lekki. Some shared videos and photographs; others urged her to involve lawyers. A few cautioned that the original contract might contain residual-use clauses permitting limited continued display of the image after the term ended. Johnson replied to one such comment affirming that fixed-term ambassador deals normally require renewal or cessation once the period expires.
By turning the complaint into a public request for documentation, the actress transformed a private contractual disagreement into a visible, crowdsourced trail of evidence. Power Oil had not issued a public response at the time of the initial reports.
Earlier Collaboration and the Grey Area of Endorsement Terms
The two parties had worked together in the past. In early 2023, Johnson shared a Power Oil campaign that also featured Joke Silva. In March 2024, the brand partnered with the fourth season of her cooking show Mercy’s Menu. Whether those later activities fell under the same endorsement agreement she says expired four years earlier remains unclear, as the precise terms of the original contract have not been made public.
Celebrity endorsement contracts routinely address the duration of image rights, residual use after termination, and compensation for continued commercial exploitation. When those clauses are ambiguous or poorly enforced, disputes of this kind can arise. The current episode has drawn attention to how strictly brands and talent monitor the life of an image once the formal relationship ends, and to the practical difficulty of removing long-running outdoor advertising materials across a large market.
What the Public Conversation Reveals
Reactions have ranged from straightforward support for the actress to measured reminders that the written agreement ultimately governs. Some observers noted that outdoor media can linger for months or years after a campaign formally closes, creating a lag between contractual expiry and physical removal. Others stressed that once an image is licensed for a fixed term, continued use without renewal or payment typically requires either renegotiation or cessation. The absence of an immediate statement from Power Oil has left the factual questions, exact expiry date, residual rights language, and the scale of ongoing display, open for now.
A Familiar Problem for Public Figures
The dispute also draws attention to something that can happen long after an endorsement deal ends. A billboard or a branded bus can stay in place for a long time, and whoever put it up may be hard to reach. For a public figure, a lingering advert can suggest a relationship with a brand that no longer exists. Johnson’s call to document every sighting treats that as a matter of record, one that is easier to act on with a list of locations in hand.
In Summary
This story began with one actress and one brand, and it now involves a crowd with phones and a list of locations. What happens next depends on two things: what the contract says, and whether Power Oil chooses to answer. If the evidence keeps piling up, how long can the adverts stay up?
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