According to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), it would never disparage Jesus Christ in its capacity as a conscientious business body.

“Jesus paid your debts, not your taxes” was the heading of a flyer that FIRS had shared on social media.

As a responsible government institution, we would like to clarify that the flier was not intentionally distributed with the intention of disparaging Jesus Christ or undermining the enormous sacrifice He made on behalf of humanity.

We understand fully that the main purpose of the Easter season is to honor this enormous sacrifice.

However, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called for an apology from the tax agency and denounced the advertisement that FIRS ran on Easter Day in the media.

CAN urged President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to take note of this incident and to direct the FIRS in adhering to communication strategies that foster respect, unity, and cohesion.

They also called on the management of the FIRS to retract the message and offer a public apology for the distress the advertisement caused.

In a reaction last night, FIRS said the message was “our way of uniquely engaging taxpayers and to remind them of the need to prioritise payment of their taxes as a civic obligation.

“Yes, we would say the message ruffled feathers in some circles. The unintended meaning/insinuation being read into the post was not what we were out to communicate as an agency.

“Good thing, this much is acknowledged by CAN in its statement wherein it said, ‘We recognise that the intended message may have been to creatively engage taxpayers…’ We wish to offer our unreserved apologies for this misinterpretation.

“FIRS, as a responsible agency, has no religion and will not bring down any religion or offend the sensibilities of adherents of various faiths in the country.

“Our goal is to assess, collect and account for revenue for the wellbeing of the Federation. We believe it is an investment in the progress of the country when citizens pay their taxes.

“Once again, we wish to apologise to CAN and Christians who felt offended at the unintended consequence of our message on Easter Sunday.”

In a statement released yesterday, the association said that they had learned that the FIRS had published an Easter message that had caused a great deal of public outcry among Christians. The statement was signed by Prophet (Commodore) Abimbola Ayuba (rtd), the national director of National Issues and Social Welfare, CAN.

“It is with a profound sense of duty to national unity and respect for religious sentiments that we address the controversial statement “Jesus paid your debt, not your taxes” circulated by the FIRS.

“As a nation that prides itself on religious harmony and peaceful coexistence, we are deeply concerned by the recurrence of provocative messages around religious holidays.

“This year, a public institution, which should be the bastion of exemplary conduct, has been implicated in disseminating content that is widely regarded as offensive and derogatory to the Christian faith.

“Such messages not only threaten the delicate fabric of our national unity but also undermine the efforts of countless Nigerians working towards fostering mutual respect among diverse religious groups.

“The Easter period, a time of solemn reflection and sacred observance for Christians, should not be juxtaposed with civic obligations in a manner that trivializes or mocks core religious beliefs,” he stated.

The Christian community has expressed distress and indignation over the FIRS’s comparison between the fundamental Christian doctrine of redemption and the civic duty of paying taxes, according to CAN, which claims that religious convictions are fundamental to their identity and should be treated with the utmost respect.

“We recognise that the intended message may have been to creatively engage taxpayers; however, the execution has regrettably crossed the bounds of cultural and religious decorum.

“While the FIRS’s intent may not have been to show irreverence, the impact of the message cannot be ignored.

“It is imperative to remember that the use of religious symbols and narratives should be handled with the highest degree of sensitivity, especially when intersecting with secular matters…” he stated.