'Jesus Didn't Pay Your Taxes': FIRS Apologises Over Easter Message

FIRS recently posted an Easter message on social media, saying Jesus paid debts, not taxes.
Although the service quickly deleted the post, the action spurred criticisms.
CAN demanded an apology from FIRS.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has apologised to Christians over its Easter message that many considered as offensive.

The service’s apology is contained in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Dare Adekanmbi, on Tuesday.

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FIRS had sparked wide public outcry with a now-deleted March 31 tweet where it wrote that “Jesus paid your debt, not your taxes”.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) joined in the criticism, slamming the Easter message by FIRS and demanding an apology from the agency.

CAN also described the message as “offensive and derogatory to the Christian faith”.

Responding to the demand for an apology, the FIRS spokesperson said, as a responsible agency of government, the service did not put out the flier purposely to denigrate Jesus Christ or “detract from the huge sacrifice He made for humanity”.

“We are acutely aware that the essence of the Easter period is to celebrate this huge sacrifice,” Adekanmbi 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.”

According to the agency, the unintended meaning being read into the post was not what “we were out to communicate as an agency”.

“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,” FIRS said.