My intention in these treaties is not to call for the head of the MD of Sterling Bank, nor to champion the boycott of financial institutions with Muslim MDs. No. Neither do I want to play the role of a Christian apologist. My intention is to vividly show that the infamous Easter message was a subtle polemic intended to vitiate the fulcrum of the Christian Faith.
Sterling Bank PLC is headed by a thoroughly educated Muslim, in the person of Abubakar Suleiman.  In his capacity as the CEO of a major financial institution in a global economy, there is no gainsaying the fact that he is well-read and well traveled. Therefore, it is impossible for him to feign ignorance of the unspoken, and the existential, and moral implications of his Agege-bread Easter message. Ordinarily, the message could have been written off as an oversight, but for the tone deaf, insensitive, and ill advised apology.
The infamous Agege-bread message and the subsequent apology by Sterling Bank could have been a major recipe for riots, burn fires and killings if the case we’re the other way round, where the MD was Christian; and the ridicule was on Prophet Mohammed. Thank God, no one has died, nor has any Sterling Bank branch in any part of the country been set on fire.
Taking a deeper look at the mind behind this attack on the resurrection, by an institution headed by a Muslim, it might appear that Islam does not believe in the resurrection; however, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Surah 3:55 alludes to the resurrection of the messenger of Allah. It reads: “God said, ‘Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to Me: I will purify you of the disbelievers. To the Day of Resurrection, I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved. Then you will all return to Me and I will judge between you regarding your differences”. Also, consider Surah 19:33 which states: “(Jesus said,) Peace was on me the day I was born, and will be on me the day I die and the day I am raised to life again”.
It is therefore apparent from these Quranic verses that the resurrection of Jesus is not the issue, in fact, it is expected. However, the premise of Sterling Bank’s ridicule derives from another passage in the Quran, namely, Surah 4:157, which says:  “(Jews) said, ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ (They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them; those that disagreed about him are full of doubt, with no knowledge to follow, only supposition: they certainly did not kill him.)”
Historically, from both Sunni and Shia traditions, it was accepted that someone was crucified on that day Christians referred to as Good Friday, but that person was not the messenger of Allah (Jesus). Over the centuries, Islamic exegetes have offered a myriad of ideas as to who was actually crucified in the place of Christ. Suggestions have ranged from a passing Jew, a Roman soldier, Judas Iscariot, Simon of Cyrene, or any one of the apostles.  Others have gone as far as suggesting that the whole event of the crucifixion of Jesus was a mirage. In the course of time, these interpretations cemented the idea that Jesus was never crucified or died in Islamic orthodoxy.
With this foundation, it is easy for Sterling Bank to midwife the production of an advert that attempts to ridicule the Christian Faith, because, for him, Easter is just a charade since Good Friday never actually happened. But is this true? Was the crucifixion of Christ only made to appear so?
Fortunately, this is not the case; and neither is this the place to give a defense. However, suffice it to say that the death (by crucifixion), burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ have more evidence than many other events in history. For instance, it is very unlikely that most of the early Christians would have died for a lie. Many were burnt alive, some were fed to lions, and some were stoned to death, like Stephen, yet others were sawn in two for holding tenaciously to what they witnessed,
Paul who was a former Chief persecutor summarized the pillar of the Christian faith thus: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,  and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of who are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.  And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep”.
A simple reading of Paul’s defense of the resurrection is enough to clear the clouds and show that this attack from Sterling Bank, whether premeditated or not, is targeted at the core foundation of the Christian faith. I am very surprised that an institution of this caliber would deliberately dish out a disingenuous attack at such a time in our country when tempers are already running high.
The worst thing the management of Sterling Bank did was to double down on their chosen part to perdition by using, “anyone who has no sin should cast the first stone.” This line alone is enough for any thinking person to know that the Agege-Bread Easter message was not in error, since it lacks any iota of remorse. In the first place, that statement was made by Jesus, and not the sinner; but in this case, the sinner (Sterling Bank) that ought to be apologetic and remorseful, has rather climbed the high horse of condescension. It is quite unfortunate if you remember how many people were killed when someone purportedly drew a cartoon of Prophet Mohamed. This should never have happened.

By: Raphael Pepple