- Say Bill breaches Christians’ Rights
Kaduna State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has said Christians in the state would not accept the religious bill signed into law by the State House of Assembly, even if Governor Nasir el-Rufai gave his assent.
The Christian body said the bill was a breach of the fundamental rights of Christians in the state, and was being studied for immediate legal action in the court.
State CAN Chairman, Reverend John Joseph Hayab, who disclosed this, yesterday, said: “As the state chairman of CAN, I or any official was not invited for any preliminary hearing by the Assembly on the bill that the House hurriedly signed into law before it was resolved. And most members of the Interfaith Council, which they claimed would regulate activities of Churches and Mosques in the state, don’t understand what Christianity is, let alone regulate our religion.”
“What is the essence of Christianity, if we cannot evangelise, both privately and publicly? The law cannot work. We will not accept it. I was in America, when news of the endorsement was announced. Now that I am back, we are going to challenge the unlawful bill that the people of Kaduna rejected.
“And for the sake of religious harmony, Kaduna government should avoid anything that will disrupt peace in the state. We have had enough controversies and issues of insecurity. Government should not overheat the polity again.”
According to Daily Post, the religious bill passed by the Kaduna State House of Assembly has continued to generate controversy in the state with religious bodies advising Governor Nasir Elrufai against the bill in order not to cause further crisis in the state.
Kaduna state House of Assembly had reportedly on Friday passed the bill seeking to ban any public religious activity in the state except a licence is obtained before such public religious event could be organized.
Also, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has rejected the proposed law, saying it would further cause religious crisis in Kaduna State.
It expressed displeasure at the assembly for disobeying a court order restraining it from passing the bill.
Sunny Akanni, counsel to PFN, said, “We are surprised that despite the court order restraining the house from continuing with the hearing or anything on the controversial bill pending the determination of the matter, the lawmakers went ahead to pass it.
“We are going to serve forms 47 and 48 on the house for disobedience of a court order and if they don’t respond, we will charge the clerk and the speaker of the house for contempt of court.”
Meanwhile, Alhaji Aminu Abdullahi Shagali, Speaker of the house of assembly, explained that a local government inter-faith committee shall consider and recommend to state Inter-faith Regulation Council all applications for the grant of licence to religious preachers as well as screen and recommend preachers for the grant of license among other functions.
He also said that any person who plays religious cassette or uses a loudspeaker for religious purposes between the hours of 11 pm to 4 am in a public place other than inside church or mosque shall be liable to pay a fine of notless than N200,000 or imprisonment for a term of not less than two years or both.
The Guardian/Daily Post
