Nigerians have continued to bash Sterling Bank Plc online even after the bank apoligized over an offensive Easter celebration message.
The message had read, “Like Agege Bread, He rose,” with a photo showing bread and a “Happy Easter” caption.
The bank later pulled down the message from its social media pages and issued another one that said, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. We humbly celebrate His resurrection, the defeat of death and the hope of salvation.”“…let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone. For our recent errors, we sincerely apologise. Forgive us in the spirit of Easter,” the bank wrote.
The celebration message titled ‘Like Agege Bread, He Rose!’ generated a lot of backlash from Nigerians, mostly Christians.
The Easter message was designed in a banner and shared on the social media pages of the bank.
APCON’s Registrar/Chief Executive, Dr Olalekan Fadolapo, while reacting to the now-deleted message via a statement on Monday, said the advertisement was not submitted or approved for exposure by the advertising standard panel.
The statement reads: “The Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria [APCON] has observed with displeasure the insensitive and provocative Easter celebration advertisement by Sterling Bank PLC which compared the resurrection of Christ with Agege Bread.
“The distasteful advertisement was neither submitted nor approved for exposure by the Advertising Standards Panel [ASP], the statutory Panel charged with the responsibility of ensuring that advertisements conform with the prevailing laws of the federation as well as the code of ethics of Advertising in Nigeria.
“APCON will take necessary actions to ensure that Sterling Bank is sanctioned for the exposure of such offensive advertisement according to law and that no religious belief or faith is ridiculed or any blasphemous advertisement is exposed in any guise.”
Photo Credit: Getty
