The Rainbow
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called for immediate amendment of the provision that concerns churches in Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 7.
CAN in a statement on Thursday made it clear that it finds the provision reprehensible and therefore unacceptable to it.
“The law, to say the least, is unacceptable, ungodly, reprehensible, and an ill-wind that blows no one any good. It is a time bomb waiting to explode,” said it said in a statement by Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, the Special Assistant on Media and Communications) to CAN President, Rev Dr Samson Ayokunle.
CAN said that it was not against the efforts by the federal government to fight corruption, pointing out that it it’s grouse is with a section of the Act which provision brings churches under government control.
According to the statement, “The satanic section of the controversial and ungodly law is Section 839 (1) &(2) which empowers the Commission to suspend trustees of an association (in this case, the church) and appoint the interim managers to manage the affairs of the association for some given reasons.
“While we are not against the government fighting corruption wherever it may be found, we completely reject the idea of bringing the Church, which is technically grouped among the NGOs, under control of the government. The Church cannot be controlled by the government because of its spiritual responsibilities and obligations.”
For the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria, the best recourse for the government is to send the law back to the National Assembly for amendment of the controversial section.
He called on the government not to implement the law until the obnoxious provisions are expunged.
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently return the law to the National Assembly for immediate amendment. Nigeria should not be compared with any other nation when it comes to the relationship between religious institutions and the government. In Nigeria, people’s religions are tied to their humanity and of course, their life,” the statement added.
CAN said that participated during the public hearing leading up to the law during which it rejected provision concerning churches, saying that it was surprised to find that the government went ahead with the law incorporating the element that was rejected during the public hearing.
The Preisiding Bishop of Faith Tabernacle aka Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, was among the first prominent voice of decent on the law.
He was pointed at the provision that empowers government to remove the trustees of any church and appoint replacement for them, which said provide a leeway for the government to take over churches especially those critical to its policies.
