CAN faults FIRS Easter message, revenue body tenders apology

CHRISTIAN Association of Nigeria ( CAN) has faulted the Easter message to Nigerians by the Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS) and demanded a public apology from the federal agency.

Probably to encourage citizens to pay their taxes, the FIRS, in the message, said: "Jesus paid your debt, not your taxes."

The message stirred up reactions among Christians, who wondered why a public office would use such words to pass across an Easter message.

In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, the National Director of National Issues and Social Welfare of CAN, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba ( rtd), expressed CAN’S concern over the recurrence of provocative messages around religious holidays, stressing that such messages not only threaten the delicate fabric of the country's unity but also undermine the efforts of countless Nigerians working towards fostering mutual respect among diverse religious groups.

In its reaction, FIRS tendered an apology to Christians and CAN, stating that it did not put out the flier purposely to denigrate Jesus Christ or detract from the huge sacrifice He made for humanity.

“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 a 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. ‘’