Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has stirred another round of controversy after he ordered that preachers must henceforth submit their sermons for approval.
According to the governor, the text of the sermons must be approved by the government before they are delivered.
He confirmed the order while speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, warning that anti-government sermons would not be tolerated.
Bago, who said it did not translate to a ban on preaching had this to say: “I didn’t ban evangelism…
“For everyone going to sermon on Friday, he should bring his scriptures for review, and it’s normal. Even in Saudi Arabia, this is done. We cannot say because you have been given the opportunity to be a cleric, you will go out and preach the gospel that is anti-people, anti-government and you think it’s normal.”
He also accepted that the order was borne out of fear of indoctrination.
“It’s in that direction. We want to be able to see what they are preaching, hear what they are saying.
“We are working together with security agencies; the Department of State Services (DSS), the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the military,” he stated.
NATIONAL POST recalls that the latest order comes amid earlier statement by the Director General of the Niger State Religious Affairs, Umar Farooq, that anyone interested in preaching in Niger must obtain a licence.
Preachers were given a maximum of two months grace to obtain 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 to 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.
The development is attracting condemnations across the state, with the Chief Imam of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Bashir Yankuzo declaring that “the government cannot dictate who to preach to and who not to preach.”
On his part, the secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger state chapter, Raphael Opawoye, 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 is an infringement of 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.