Preachers Must Submit Sermons For Approval – Niger Governor

Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has said preachers indispensable taxable their sermons for approval.

Speaking connected TVC’s Politics connected Sunday, the politician clarified immoderate aspects of the instrumentality seeking to modulate preaching successful the state.

“I didn’t prohibition evangelism… Everyone attending the Friday sermon should bring their scriptures for review, and it’s normal. Even successful Saudi Arabia, this is done. We cannot accidental due to the fact that you person been allowed to beryllium a cleric, you volition spell retired and preach the gospel that is anti-people, anti-government, and you deliberation it’s normal.”

Asked if it was retired of fearfulness of indoctrination, the politician said, “It’s successful that direction. We privation to spot what they preach and perceive what they say. We are moving unneurotic with information agencies, specified arsenic the Department of State Services (DSS), the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the military.”

The improvement became nationalist earlier successful the period and has generated controversy.

The Director General of the Niger State Religious Affairs, Umar Farooq, had said anyone funny successful preaching successful Niger indispensable get a licence, emphasising that preachers had 2 months to get their licences.

“It is true, the State Government has banned preaching. Any preacher who wants to preach indispensable unafraid a licence betwixt present and the adjacent 2 months.”

“All they request to bash is sojourn our office, get, and capable retired the form. After which, they volition person to look a sheet that volition surface them earlier they tin commencement preaching,” Farooq had said.

Reacting to the development, the Chief Imam of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Bashir Yankuzo, had said, “My sentiment is that preaching is simply a command. The authorities is not paying anyone to bash the job; radical preach to gain God’s pleasure. So, the authorities cannot dictate who to preach to and who not to preach.

“But astatine the aforesaid time, if radical are going retired of their mode to origin information threats, utilizing abusive words and truthful on, past the authorities tin person power implicit that to support bid and security.”

The caput of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger authorities chapter, Raphael Opawoye, had said the Christian assemblage was not alert of the ban.

“The Christian Association of Nigeria is not alert of the ban. We shall travel up with a connection erstwhile we are officially informed,” helium had said.

But an Islamic scholar, Uthman Siraja, had described it arsenic an infringement connected spiritual rights.

“The prohibition connected preaching infringes state of worship and religion.

“The champion happening for the authorities to bash is to invitation and penalise immoderate preacher who incites the nationalist successful the origin of his preaching,” helium had said.