Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has said preachers must submit their sermons for approval.
Speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, the governor clarified some aspects of the law seeking to regulate preaching in the state.
“I didn’t ban evangelism… Everyone attending the Friday sermon should bring their scriptures for review, and it’s normal. Even in Saudi Arabia, this is done. We cannot say because you have been allowed to be a cleric, you will go out and preach the gospel that is anti-people, anti-government, and you think it’s normal.”
Asked if it was out of fear of indoctrination, the governor said, “It’s in that direction. We want to see what they preach and hear what they say. We are working together with security agencies, such as the Department of State Services (DSS), the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the military.”
The development became public earlier in the month and has generated controversy.
The Director General of the Niger State Religious Affairs, Umar Farooq, had said anyone interested in preaching in Niger must obtain a licence, emphasising that preachers had two months to get their licences.
“It is true, the State Government has banned preaching. Any preacher who wants to preach must secure a licence between now and the next two months.”
“All they need to do is visit our office, get, and fill out the form. After which, they will have to face a panel that will screen them before they can start preaching,” Farooq had said.
Reacting to the development, the Chief Imam of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Bashir Yankuzo, had said, “My opinion is that preaching is a command. The government is not paying anyone to do the job; people preach to earn God’s pleasure. So, the government cannot dictate who to preach to and who not to preach.
“But at the same time, if people are going out of their way to cause security threats, using abusive words and so on, then the government can have control over that to maintain peace and security.”
The secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger state chapter, Raphael Opawoye, had said the Christian body was not aware of the ban.
“The Christian Association of Nigeria is not aware of the ban. We shall come up with a statement when we are officially informed,” he had said.
But an Islamic scholar, Uthman Siraja, had described it as an infringement on religious rights.
“The ban on preaching infringes freedom of worship and religion.
“The best thing for the government to do is to invite and penalise any preacher who incites the public in the cause of his preaching,” he had said.
