Nigeria: How Wrong Is Governor El Rufai?

17 April 2016
opinion

For some time now, there has been ample opposition to the policy initiatives of the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is perhaps the governor's fiercest critic with respect to a proposed law to regulate religious activities in the state. The bill is aimed at banning the usage of loudspeaker for religious purposes "other than inside a Mosque or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times." Governor el-Rufai wants to legally stop the playing or circulating of "all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers other than inside one's house, porch, Church, Mosques and other designated places of worship." The bill also seeks to ban sales or playing of any cassette containing "religious recordings in which abusive language is used against any person or religious organisation or religious leaders (past or present). Any person found guilty of preaching without a valid licence and other offences under the proposed law "shall be liable to two years in prison or a fine of N200, 000."

Leading the pack of those opposed to the bill is Prophet Chris Okafor of the Liberation City Church who imagined that El Rufai was only being used to test run the bigger plan to Islamize Nigeria, Before his congregation of worshippers and on live television viewed around the world, Chris warned Governor El Rufai to drop the proposed law or be ready to die in 14 days with effect from March 20, 2016 when he gave the warning. Bearing in mind that there could be good intentions behind the law, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins did not similarly dismiss the proposal. Instead, he advised the Kaduna State Government to listen to the key stakeholders in the state before introducing its proposed religious bill so that the law can be just and effective. As if to give credence to the good intentions behind the law, the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Yusuf Bala, allayed the fears of critics when he told a delegation of the state chapter of CAN that the government was only anxious to curb religious extremism in the state

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