FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, makers of the popular Peak milk brand, came under heavy criticism by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for symbolising Jesus Christ’s crucifixion in a manner the body interprets unacceptable.
The company had depicted Jesus’ crucifixion in an Easter advertisement using a can of evaporated Peak milk and a nail used to punch the milk. The advertisement reads: ‘BRUISED AND CRUCIFIED FOR US #GOODFriday’.
Christian folks do hold celebrations after finishing the prayers and remembering the day when it was announced that the Romans had crucified Jesus.
Joseph Daramola, the CAN General Secretary, in a statement noted that Good Friday marks the death of Christ, their saviour and that the Peak milk advert was insensitive and totally inappropriate.
“Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians all over the world, a day we commemorate the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross for our sins and not a day to be used for crass commercial purposes,” Daramola stated.
“We find this advert to be insensitive, offensive, and totally unacceptable. Good Friday is a solemn day for Christians all over the world, a day we commemorate the death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross for our sins. It is not a day to be used for crass commercial purposes,” he said, adding: “We are deeply disappointed that a company of such repute would stoop so low to exploit the religious sentiments of its customers for profit.”
CAN, however, demanded a public apology from the company. It also urged other companies to desist from such acts.
“We call on the company to issue an unreserved apology to the Christian community and withdraw the offensive advert immediately,” he stated. “We, therefore, urge all companies and organizations to be mindful of the religious and cultural sensitivities of their customers when promoting their products. We will not tolerate any attempt to trivialize or disrespect our faith. Be warned.”
This is not the first time CAN would react to advertisements during Easter period.
‘LIKE AGEGE BREAD, HE ROSE’
During the 2022 Easter celebration, Sterling Bank shared an Easter message comparing Jesus Christ’s resurrection to a Nigerian bread called ‘Agege Bread.’ The advertisement message reads: “Like Agege Bread, He rose,” with a picture showing a halved loaf of bread.
The bank would face criticism from the Christian community including CAN. The body also called for the removal of Abubakar Suleiman, the managing director of the bank.
Sulaiman and the bank jointly apologised to the Christians, but the matter lingers until CAN asked them not to sin anymore.
“Our honest intent was to join our millions of customers in Nigeria and worldwide in celebrating this solemn event, but our execution fell short on this occasion,” the lender said.
A faith-based Media Group, Journalists For Christ (JFC) International Outreach also rebuked the advert. Its President, Lekan Otufodunrin, a veteran journalist said:
“We live in a secular country that also has respect for the various faiths being practised. Sterling Bank obviously did not consider the sensitivity of the content before allowing such to go public.
“The world is now a global village and everybody is online. There is virtually anything published online that can remain a secret, brands must be very careful to sensitive things like religion so they don’t offend the sensibility of their customers.
“We all make mistakes at some points while trying to do our best on our jobs, but the apology the bank published further drew the anger of the public.”
