The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned an offensive Easter message by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, makers of Peak Milk, which
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has condemned an offensive Easter message by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, makers of Peak Milk, which used the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as an advertorial to promote its product on Good Friday.
CAN, in a statement signed by its general secretary, Barr. Joseph Daramola, on Easter Monday, described the advertorial message as insensitive, offensive, and unacceptable.
According to CAN, Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians all over the world, a day they commemorate the death of their Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross for their sins.
“It is not a day to be used for crass commercial purposes. FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC’s action is not only disrespectful to the Christian faith but also an affront to the millions of Christians in Nigeria and beyond.
“We are deeply disappointed that a company of such repute would stoop so low to exploit the religious sentiments of its customers for profit. We are considering sanctions against FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria PLC, including a boycott of their products by our members and all well-meaning Nigerians who share our concerns.
“We call on the company to issue an unreserved apology to the Christian community and withdraw the offensive advert immediately. We recall a similar incident in the past when Sterling Bank Plc. used crucifixion imagery to promote their product.”
About a year ago, CAN had called for the sack of the Managing Director of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, over his bank’s controversial Easter advert.
The bank had published its Easter message, which compared the resurrection of Jesus to Agege bread.
The commercial bank apologized for the error with another message, which called for forgiveness but also received negative comments.
