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Tag: el-Rufai

Still on El-rufai’s Preaching Law

SIR: Since the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nassir El-rufai sent a bill to the floor of the Kaduna State House of Assembly seeking to amend the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law of 1984, several reactions have trailed that announcement. But the most disturbing reactions have come from the leaders of both faiths who are deliberately misleading their followers as to what the bill really entails.

It is unfortunate that the same preachers who travel out of the country, see the way things are done, see how religious activities are regulated, get permits to hold crusades, are the same ones screaming blue murder and alleging persecution here, thereby deliberately inciting their followers and members towards challenging a policy that can only calm the already raging waters of religious violence in the country.

Kaduna State has a long history of clashes and violent uprisings arising from crises that take on both political and religious faces and boil to a point where they can no longer be separated. For anyone who wants a genuine end to clashes in that state, that religious law should be a welcome development.

Kicking against that bill might just mean that the religious leaders only appear to want an end to the crises caused by religion in the state but in actual fact, their actions speak otherwise.

Majority of the followers alleging persecution have not even read the bill. They do not know that Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is part of the regulatory bodies. They do not know that Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) is represented in the regulatory body.

The religious leaders should be cautioned. Government has a responsibility to protect lives and properties and if it has identified regulation of religious activities as one of the steps that need to be taken, religious bodies should not be a hindrance to that.

Ironically, most of the religious leaders alleging persecution and inciting their members to kick against the law have security details assigned to them. They have DSS operatives following them around. If there is a religious crisis, they would be safe while their followers who they incited to kick against a law that would protect them will be consumed.

Every right-thinking Nigerian who has not been blinded by religious bigotry and is not a slave to the herd mentality must throw their weight behind that bill and call on the House not to allow itself to be bullied by market noises created by agents of confusion who speak with both sides of the mouth, or the next time a life is lost due to religious crisis, they should take full responsibility and realize that the blood is on their hands.

James Ogunjimi,

ogunjimijamestaiwo@gmail.com

March 28, 2016
Nasir el Rufai and secularity of the Nigerian-State

El Rufai needs to be supported for plucking the courage to strengthen the principle of democratic citizenship in a multi-religious society, without sacrificing citizens’ right to promote the metaphysics that brings meaning to their private lives.

The principle of separation of Church/Mosque which springs from the supposed secularity of the Nigerian constitution would be severely battered if this bill is pursued in the way it is.—Caritas International in Nigeria.

Nasir el Rufai’s Executive Bill toward a law to replace the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Decree of 1984 is already raising tension in Kaduna State, but the noise that birthed the tension is more against rights of citizens in a republic than it is in favour of itinerant evangelisers of Islamic and Christian scriptures who want total freedom to bombard incessantly believers and non-believers with high unbearable noise volume.

Of all the many progressive policies of el Rufai since he became governor: policy on free and compulsory primary education; unconditional release of allocations to local governments from joint state/local government account to enable local governments perform their statutory duties; and introduction of free meals in over 4,000 primary schools for over 1 million pupils, none has given him so much negative publicity as his proposed bill to regulate practice of religion in public space. In his bill to replace a 1984 military decree with a democratically enacted law, the governor seems to have attracted more criticism than his good intentions for the security, peace, and stability of Kaduna State in particular and by extension of the country in general deserves.

Ironically, both spokespersons for Islam and Christianity in the state have been calling el Rufai names that include emperor and aspiring dictator, for making attempt to provide a non-threatening and safe public space for all citizens, a duty that is given to him and other governors and the president by the 1999 Constitution. In political parlance, there are two major types of states in the world: theocratic and secular. In a theocracy, there is a clear integration of political and religious organisation of life in the state. Two examples are The Vatican and Saudi Arabia. Secularism refers to a state in which the country’s political culture is neutral to political preferences of individual citizens. Examples can be found in the United States of America and Turkey. All other systems are variants of one or the other. Nigeria’s concept of multi-religious society is one of such hybrids. But existence of multiple faiths in a country does not automatically make it a theocracy.

To all intents and purposes, Nigeria is viewed by the 1999 Constitution as a secular republic even though it may be a multi-religious society. In chapter IV of the constitution on Fundamental Human Rights, Sec38 (1) says: “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance. But Sec45(1) of the same chapter says: “Nothing in sections 37, 38, 39 40 and 41 of this Constitution shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health or for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons.”

While Sec 38(1) of the constitution recognizes the importance of religion in the Nigerian society, the Sec 45(1) recognises the right of the state to make laws to protect public space for citizens to thrive, regardless of their religious affiliation. The current constitution has, with combination of these two sections, avoided much of what some religious leaders call tension, that is fostered by elRufai’s bill. Like the United States of America, Nigeria starts all its formal state and official functions with the anthem, rather than with reciting the Bible or the Koran, in order to proclaim symbolically the separation of Church/Mosque and the State. Even where states have Sharia law, the country’s constitution remains superior to customary and religious law.

Instead of praising el Rufai for his courage to promote order in Kaduna’s public space, the governor is being chastised by both Christians and Muslims for attempting to carry out his constitutional duty to make public space safe for all citizens regardless of the God they worship or how they worship him or her. The thrust of the criticism is not to improve the content of the bill but to push for its withdrawal. More specifically, el Rufai’s bill intends to achieve the following: restrict the playing of loud religious messages to the following places: inside one’s house; inside entrance porch; inside the Church; inside the Mosque; and any other designated place of worship and playing of loud messages that project beyond designated places beyond 8 p.m. It also requires that preachers be registered along with their churches or mosques and assigns statutory functions to an Inter-faith committee.

Admittedly, requiring that preachers register after the organisations they work have been registered is superfluous. Faith institutions should have the freedom to appoint their functionaries without having to be slowed down by red tapes. Similarly, it does not make sense to have a cut-off of 8 p.m. for loud messages without indicating when such messages can start, knowing that they often start at 4 a.m. in many places across the state. In addition, the bill’s establishment of an Inter-faith committee instead of a Charity Commission that can regulate practice of faith in the public domain leaves too much of an important decision in the hands of a non-statutory body. It is better to assign such functions to a government agency that is guided by democratic rules in the performance of its functions, rather than by religious precepts and protocols. Apart from these, nothing else in this bill should make Muslims and Christians unhappy. The bill contains nothing that inhibits the practice of any of the so-called two major religions. On the contrary, it is subscribers to other religions in a multi-religious society, such as believers in traditional African religions, believers in Hindu, Buddha, Shinto, Orunmila, etc., that should cry foul about a legislation that has ignored or marginalised them.

Decision making about public order in a non-theocratic state is starkly different from what obtains in private decision making. It is illogical to make laws about public space in a multi-religious society as if public space is synonymous with private space. Citizenship of a multi-religious country is what makes all persons in such society co-owners of public space. In a polity, as distinct from private spaces within it, public domain does not belong to any individual or group of individuals. It is a space that belongs to people of all religious views including atheists and agnostics, and there are many of such people in Kaduna State.

While pastors are the professionals that manage private lives of citizens, it is politicians in a democracy that are mandated to manage the public conduct of citizens of all religious persuasions. In a country that has been destabilised for years by terrorism at the hands of religious extremists, it makes sense for courageous governors to make laws to prevent any form of blatant indoctrination and psychological terrorism or harassment of people of other religions that can arise from the conflation of the private space of religion and the public space of citizenship. By allowing religions to invade public space with their messages at will, as is being canvassed by critics of el Rufai, such policy disrespects the human rights of non-religious citizens in the same country, just as any government’s failure to recognise the right of men and women to express their religious belief in designated spaces for specific religions is a violation of their rights.

The Kaduna governor’s bill is one that should be appreciated for the courage and vision it shows about the need to protect human rights of citizens in a country that simultaneously needs to allow religions to thrive and the political space that makes living in the society possible to be safe for all citizens regardless of their religious orientations. El Rufai needs to be supported for plucking the courage to strengthen the principle of democratic citizenship in a multi-religious society, without sacrificing citizens’ right to promote the metaphysics that brings meaning to their private lives.

March 27, 2016
El-Rufai: Iconoclast in the saddle

WHEN the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, emerged winner of the March 28, 2015 gubernatorial election in Kaduna State, expectations ran high on the rapid development that Kaduna might witness under him. The success he recorded as FCT Minister and his campaign slogan, ‘Let’s make Kaduna great again’, particularly recommended him. Critics might say nothing much has been achieved in the last 10 months of his administration, but keen observers will agree that, as he once did with the state of infrastructure in Abuja, the ‘Pocket Dynamite’ has been busy reversing what he termed the ‘negative state of Kaduna’ inherited from the Mukhtar Ramalan Yero-led PDP government.

On several occasions, El-Rufai had repeated that his government inherited a primary school system where more than 50 per cent of the pupils sit on the bare floor to take lessons, a health sector where an average of 103,000 women die annually during child birth and a security situation where killings in Southern Kaduna as well as cattle rustling and robbery in the Birnin Gwari area had turned the order of the day.

El-Rufai facilitated joint security measures by concerned Northern Governors to end crime in Birnin Gwari’s Kamuku Forest and empowered security agencies with patrol vans and equipment to stop incessant killings in Southern Kaduna. But not all of the governor’s policies have jelled with all. Like the initial ban on street begging, cancellation of Ramadan, Sallah and Christmas largesse and school feeding programme, the more recent religious preaching bill has come under severe attack.

In his characteristic show of character, El-Rufai has remained resolute, adopting modifications where necessary. When he took power, he met a tradition of sharing of public resources by a privileged few. Previous governments often distributed bags of rice, vegetable oil and assorted food items among public office holders, political groups as well as religious and other interest groups during festivities like Ramadan fasting, Sallah, Christmas and New Year celebrations. The governor stopped the largesse.

The action attracted opprobrium, with some tagging him an ‘enemy of Islam’ for stopping what they described as Ramadan feeding. In reaction, the governor said his investigation revealed that beneficiaries of the festive largesse were not the common people, but elites who could afford such gifts on their own.

Nonetheless, the governor organised a separate Ramadan feeding programme for the poor sponsored by him and friends. His administration, noted the governor, would no longer play to the gallery for cheap political points and the fraudulent enrichment of a few individuals.

“Findings have revealed how it is mainly prominent politicians and influential personalities that benefit from the Ramadan and Christmas gifts instead of the so-called poor,” he said. “Foodstuff, bought with public resources, are distributed to prominent government officials and other personalities, while the poor in whose name those foods are procured queue in droves for crumbs.”

Shortly after the embargo on festive largesse, came the ban on street begging and hawking in Kaduna metropolis. The ensuing outrage featured the threat of legal action from beggars and various human rights groups. But the governor explained that the ban of hawking and begging was necessitated by the security situation in the state and the need to ensure maximum protection of lives and property.

El-Rufai, who took the decision after the bomb attack in Sabon Gari Local Government Area in Zaria, said he would never unleash pain on beggars and hawkers in the state, adding that the government’s decision was not aimed or targeted at the vulnerable group but to protect citizens, and appealed for understanding and cooperation to ensure the safety of citizens in the state.

The ban was, however, not seriously enforced; beggars and hawkers have since returned to the streets of Kaduna and the government has remained silent on the matter, especially as the security challenges which initially informed the ban have gradually fizzled out.

The school feeding initiative, according to El-Rufai, was designed to expand access to education and ensure that every child can have nine years of free, decent basic education, regardless of the income level of their parents. He said: “We began our education programme with the recruitment of teachers for core subject areas, conducted a needs-assessment to identify how we can strengthen the capacity of current teachers and then announced the removal of all bureaucratic impediments to the career advancement and sense of fulfillment of professional teachers in the public school system. We made it clear that a professional teacher can rise to Grade Level 17, without having to stop being a teacher.”

While the programme attracted praise in some quarters, it has been criticised by others, the most prominent being Senator Danjuma La’ah, who represents the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District in the National Assembly. La’ah, in a statement, described the free feeding programme as a misplaced priority considering that many public schools lack basic facilities. The programme, he said, was not sustainable.

“There is no way the feeding programme can be sustainable in Kaduna State when the targeted pupils are about two million and are expected to be fed on a daily basis. So, it is a political gimmick and I am not in support of it. I, therefore, call on the government to do the right things for our education system to move forward instead of spending public resources on what is not tenable among the citizenry,” he said.

On the other hand, a Kaduna-based nutritionist, Mrs. Hajara Yahaya, said the programme would go a long way to boost the nutrition status of children — a typical problem in northern Nigeria. Though, the programme has witnessed some challenges, ranging from pupils absconding from school after meal times, food vendors compromising standard and so on, the state government has refused to abolish the programme.

The most criticised of El-Rufai’s policies of recent is perhaps the executive bill in the Kaduna State of Assembly seeking to regulate religious preaching in Kaduna State. Not many people knew of the bill or its contents until an Edo State-based Pastor, Apostle Johnson Suleiman, during a programme on live television, demanded that Governor El-Rufai withdraws the bill or risk death.

Apostle Suleiman, who is the Senior Pastor of Omega Fire Ministries (OFM), with headquarters in Auchi, Edo State, and President of Celebration TV, vilified the governor. He claimed that the proposed directive that pastors and churches be licensed to preach would not work in Nigeria.

Others carpeted the proposed bill, but anyone who has witnessed religious crisis in Kaduna or any other part of Northern Nigeria might consider Apostle Suleiman’s reaction excessive.

Not the original proponent of the bill, the El-Rufai-led government thought it wise to dust the 1984 preaching bill titled; “A bill for a law to substitute the Kaduna State religious preaching law, 1984”, 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).”

The bill is also aimed at banning the usage of loudspeaker for religious purposes “other than inside a Mosques or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times. The government wanted the Assembly to enact the law that will 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, if passed into law, will prohibit sales of religious books and usage of abusive and derogatory terms in describing any religion. And any person found guilty of preaching without a valid licence and other offences under the law “shall be liable to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200, 000.”

El-Rufai, according to sources close to him, reached for the law again following a deadly clash between members of the Shiite Sect in Zaria and the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai in December 2015 after the former blocked roads in the ancient town.

Government sources said the governor believes there are too many unrestrained preachers who specialise in hate speeches and incitement of members against constituted authorities and other religious organisations. As far as el-Rufai is concerned, there are still many El-Zak-Zaky in the Christian and Islamic communities.

The law, the governor has reportedly told his aides, is conceived to check such religious recklessness and save the state from further violent incidents. Though many of his aides were said to have serious misgivings over some provisions in the law, the governor was said to have vowed he will pursue it to a logical end.

Christian and Islamic preachers who spoke with our correspondent acknowledged there was need for a form of regulation but frowned at certain over-the-top provisions in the proposed law. They said the measures were not only impracticable but totally overbearing.

The General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna State chapter, Rev (Dr) Sunday Ibrahim, told our correspondent that government has no business regulating the religious sector. He said: “The people are saying no to the bill. If you consider many of the provisions, you will discover that they strangulate freedom to free worship. Government is trying to gag preachers, which is unnecessary as far as we are concerned.”

Ibrahim added: “The issue of licence is really a no-no. Even CAN does not have the right to licence. We are not a licence body or authority. There are many churches that are not even under CAN. So, how can you licence them considering that CAN is a voluntary organisation?

The regional secretary of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa (IFES), Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, believes religion should be regulated to prevent infringement on fundamental rights of others. He, however, stated that such regulation must be done with utmost care after wide consultation with critical stakeholders.

He said: “Anything that has to do with religious regulation has to be done with care because it is a volatile subject. If you allow religion to operate unregulated, the practitioners might infringe on the rights of others while carrying out their religious obligations.

Considering his policy thrusts as Kaduna State chief executive and performance as a former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, El-Rufai projects the image of an administrator committed to development. His policies may expectedly be stoking fire from the critical segments of the state, the iconoclast trudges on.

March 26, 2016
El-Rufai’s Religious Preaching Law
SIR: The planned introduction of ‘A Bill for a Law to Substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, 1984.’ has spread consternation throughout Kaduna State. The Bill has generated a lot of fretfulness and upheaval. It contains sections that seek to establish committees of the two major religious bodies in the state; the Committee of Jama’atu Nasir Islam (JNI) for the Muslims and the Committee of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for the Christians and their respective composition, and a third body called “the Inter-faith Ministerial Committee”, which shall execute regulatory control over the JNI and CAN committees.

I am convinced that Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his cabinet’s decision to introduce this bill seem to have been marked by an unprecedented “faith” in the law to help in curbing religious bigotry and radicalization which have caused global turmoil with Nigeria greatly affected.

In a multi-religious republic like Nigeria where members of one religious group are raised to view some other group’s beliefs or practices as wrong, mistaken, or undesirable, legislating religion is an uphill task, regardless of any intent and purpose. Discussions that bother on freedom of religion and belief are overly complex. Conflicts between citizens often arise in the interpretation and application of the law.

As individuals, we might dispute or deny the fact that Nigeria is a country where most people find it toilsome to practice their faiths without persecution, even though religious freedom is stipulated by the extant law to be a constitutional right. Unfortunately, no courts or political leaders in Nigeria have given serious analytical attention to what counts as “Religious Freedom”. While behind the veil of campaign some politicians make promises to protect citizens with an equal liberty of conscience but when sworn into office, they are likely to suppress solutions when it does not favor their own cultural interests and interpretation of religion, even if it is the all-time solution to the crises in a context. The jurisprudence regarding religious exemptions to generally applicable laws is clearly still in flux, providing an uneven and uncertain patchwork of protections to religious adherents. This is a governmental incompetence in need of remedy.

Governor El-Rufai, a man who himself has been in the eye of the storm of religious issues in the past, frames his decision to pursue the passage of the bill around the excuse of state toleration of religion, as opposed to toleration in interpersonal relations.

Regulation of religious beliefs has always generated controversy. Governor El-Rufai should know that he is flirting with an idea that might threaten public safety, peace and order. Controversy will arise when a law is generally applicable and religiously neutral but nevertheless has the accidental or unintentional effect of interfering with a particular religious practice or belief. For example, section 9 which seeks to criminalize preaching without licence, will infringe on the constitutional right of a Christian who decides to follow the biblical commandment of Jesus Christ to ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”. I speak as a Christian since that is where my religious knowledge lies. I have no doubt some sections might affect the constitutional rights of our Muslims populace.

Religion is one of the few systems of belief that actually gives effect to convictions about morality and conscience. What Governor El-Rufai and his team should look into are initiatives that are balanced, between law and religion that encourage tolerance in interpersonal relations. The rights of individuals and groups have been protected by the constitution. All they need do is enforce it.

The constitution does not deem any religion in Nigeria wrong, mistaken, or undesirable. The freedom to carry out injunctions of our chosen religions as Nigerians should be backed by some degree of government accommodation of religious practices and not to further abuse it.
- David Dimas,
Laurel, Maryland, U.S.A
March 24, 2016
Licensing of preachers: Lawmakers, governors, others urged to stop El-Rufai

The Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Akwa Ibom State branch, Archbishop Cletus Bassey, has enjoined the National Assembly to stop the religious bill sent by Governor Nasir El-Rufai to the House of Assembly.

He said this is necessary to prevent him from throwing Kaduna State and the country into crisis.

The cleric urged Nigerians to prevail on the governor to forget the idea of licensing pastors and regulating Christian worship, as he seeks to achieve with his proposed bill.

He was addressing reporters to render his stewardship, preparatory to his handing over to a new chairman to be elected today.

Archbishop Bassey advised Christian governors and lawyers to implore El-Rufai to withdraw the bill.

He said there is freedom of worship as guaranteed by the constitution.

March 24, 2016
El-Rufai stirs religion’s hornet nest

Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai’s amendments to a 1984 Edict aimed at regulating religious activities to the House of Assembly is generating ripples, reports Sunday Oguntola

Christian and Islamic clerics in Kaduna State have kicked against the Religious Preaching Law proposed by Governor Nasir el-Rufai to regulate the two major religious bodies with a view to stemming crisis and violence triggered by religious sentiments.

El-Rufai submitted the bill to the House of Assembly late last year to substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, which was enacted by former Military Governor Air-Commodore Usman Muazu in August 1984. Muazu came up with the law to contain the Maitatsine upheaval in parts of the north.

New wine in old skin

The original law, though never implemented, codified the licensing of preachers and restricted the playing of religious cassettes to homes. It also banned the use of abusive languages against any person or religious organisation or religious leader and prohibited the playing of religious recordings in public places.

The law also banned the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes other than in a church or mosque, the abuse of religious books and the use of such terms as “infidels,” “non-Islamic,” or “pagans” in describing other religious groups. The penalty for violating the 1984 edict was two years’ imprisonment with an option of fine.

In 1987, there were altercations during a gathering by students in Kafanchan over a preacher’s comments. The arguments degenerated into a fight and unrest, which extended to Kaduna and Zaria towns. It took the intervention of soldiers to stop the free flow of blood. The then Military governor, Lt. Colonel Abubakar Umar reached for the 1984 Edict in response to the heart rending destruction of lives and properties.

Abubakar removed the option of fine, meaning those found guilty will have to face imprisonment. He also extended the term of imprisonment to five years upon conviction. In 1996, Colonel Hameed Ali, the current Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, also amended the edict after another round of religious violence in the volatile state.

El-Rufai, according to sources close to him, reached for the law again following a deadly clash between members of the Shiite Sect in Zaria and the convoy of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General TY Buratai in December 2015 after the former blocked roads in the ancient town.

The clash, which attracted international outcries, saw the mosque and residence of the sect’s founder, Sheikh Ibrahim El Zak-Zaky, levelled. El-Zak-Zaky has remained in Army custody since the incident that sent shivers down the spines of many in the state, including the governor.

Government sources said the governor believes there are too many unrestrained preachers who specialise in hate speeches and incitement of members against constituted authorities and other religious organisations. As far as el-Rufai is concerned, there are still many El-Zak-Zaky in the Christian and Islamic communities.

The law, the governor has reportedly told his aides, is conceived to check such religious recklessness and save the state from further violent incidents. Though many of his aides were said to have serious misgivings over some provisions in the law, the governor was said to have vowed he will pursue it to a logical end.

Inside the contentious bill

Christian and Islamic preachers who spoke with our correspondent acknowledged there was need for a form of regulation but frowned at certain over-the-top provisions in the proposed law. They said the measures were not only impracticable but totally overbearing.

A copy of the bill obtained by our correspondent provides that the two major religions in the state will be regulated by three bodies: A committee of Jama’atu Nasril-Islam (JNI) with equal representation of Izala and Darika groups in the case of Muslims; a committee set up by the Christian Association of Nigeria in the case of Christians and an inter-faith ministerial committee to “inter-face between the JNI and CAN committees and exercise supervisory control them.”

The inter-faith committee will have eight members with the chairman appointed by the governor on the recommendation of the Secretary to the State Government. Other members are: The special adviser to the Governor on internal security; the most senior official of Government advising the Governor on interfaith matters; a representative of JNI and CAN; a representative of Ministry of Justice and one representative of the Police, Department of State Security(DSS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

On the modus operandi of the proposed regulation, CAN and JNI are expected to have members in each local government where they will consider preachers worthy of licence and recommend same to the inter-faith committee for approval. JNI and CAN are also expected to keep the data base of preachers, churches and mosques under them in every nook and cranny of the state.

The license for preachers to be approved by the inter-faith committee will be issue for a “period not exceeding one year”. The license will then be subjected to annual revalidation upon application. The bill is however silent on whether there will be application fee for intending preachers. There is also nothing on what qualifies or disqualifies from being licensed. There is nothing on the criteria that the committee will consider in treating preaching licences.

Also, sponsored and invited preachers shall be “issued a permit for the period of the event.” This means, nobody can just wake up and proceed to Kaduna State for preaching without undergoing government screening and getting an official permit.

Licensing of preachers remains a contentious, knotty issue in the two major religions based on the interactions of practitioners with our correspondent. But the bill really gets daring from item nine. It states: “All cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers may be played in the following places only: (a) Inside one’s house; (b) Inside entrance porch(Zaure); (c) Inside the church; (d) Inside the mosque and (e) Any other designated place of worship.”

This means in essence that sellers of commercial religious CDs and materials cannot display them openly again. Playing a religious CD or sermon in a private or public vehicle is also prohibited. Item 12 stipulates that those who preach without licence, play religious cassettes or use loud speakers for religious purposes after 8pm in a public place will be liable to conviction. Those who use loudspeakers in vehicles with religious recordings are also guilty of the proposed law.

The arguments against the bill

The General Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna State chapter, Rev (Dr) Sunday Ibrahim, told our correspondent that government has no business regulating the religious sector. He said: “The people are saying no to the bill. If you consider many of the provisions, you will discover that they strangulate freedom to free worship. Government is trying to gag preachers, which is unnecessary as far as we are concerned.”

Ibrahim added: “The issue of licence is really a no-no. Even CAN does not have the right to licence. We are not a licence body or authority. There are many churches that are not even under CAN. So, how can you licence them considering that CAN is a voluntary organisation?

“Besides, most Christian preachers are already licensed by their parent organisations and seminaries. These churches and ministries are even registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Will they have to be licensed all over again? How do you licence someone who is already licensed?”

The CAN official said government should leave regulation of religious groups to the supervisory bodies instead of attempting to out muscle them.

The regional secretary of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students in English and Portuguese-speaking Africa (IFES), Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam, believes religion should be regulated to prevent infringement on fundamental rights of others. He, however, stated that such regulation must be done with utmost care after wide consultation with critical stakeholders.

He said: “Anything that has to do with religious regulation has to be done with care because it is a volatile subject. If you allow religion to operate unregulated, the practitioners might infringe on the rights of others while carrying out their religious obligations.

“But one cannot attempt to regulate religion without wide consultation and consideration of the feelings of people. Government should just provide an atmosphere where people practise religion without infringing on the rights of others.”

He queried the provision for licensing of preachers, saying it is an aspect of religion that government should have nothing to do with. He said the idea of an inter-faith ministerial committee licensing preachers will make the process subject to abuse and manipulation.

Para-Mallam said: “Licensing preachers by a government appointed Committee makes no sense to me. Are we under some Communists regime or what? Church denominations or known reputable Muslim groups should provide that license.

“If a preacher over steps his or her bounds by preaching inciting sermons directed at disturbing public peace and safety should be reported to his or her Church denominations or Muslim leader. There are internal measures and sanctions. If such a preacher clearly breaks the laws of the country he or she should be prosecuted but not persecuted.”

He said government should empower rather than seek to regulate religious leaders and groups. “No, the government needs to empower religious leaders to bring this order about rather than government seeking to regulate in the sense that the bill the Executive Governor of Kaduna Stare has sent to the State House of Assembly.

“That bill needs to be amended or the government needs to consult widely before coming out with any bill. Any such bill should represent the popular views of the citizens and not just d government’s thinking or religious leaders. The general public also has a right to determine how their freedoms are affected regarding matters of religion.”

The Imam of FRCN Mosque in Kaduna, Ustaz Adburahman, also said regulation, as good as it is, shouldn’t be wholly championed by government. Though he said the bill was commendable in some areas, Abdurahman pointed out certain provisions must be amended. For example, he said JNI and CAN shouldn’t have anything to do with licensing preachers.

He said: “The inter-faith ministerial committee is the bone of contention. CAN and JNI are only to recommend preachers for licensing. They cannot approve. Even then, they should have nothing to do with licensing preachers because there will be conflicts of interests.”

The Islamic cleric wondered how it could be possible for the committee to license a Christian preacher when the chairman is Muslim and vice-versa, saying the development will create unnecessary tension and ill-feeling.

He also pointed out that the issue of playing religious CDs in only designated religious centres and not using loudspeakers from 8pm were unacceptable and unnecessary. While he admitted it was necessary to control sermons to prevent hate speeches, Abdurahman said it would be practically impossible to screen from outside Kaduna State considering the number of religious organisations around.

The grey areas, he said, were because government failed to consult with stakeholders before proposing amendments to the 1984 edict. If the governor had met with stakeholders, he said some of the contentious provisions would have been ironed out.

The Chief Imam of Kawo Mosque, Abdulwahab Ibrahim, said the bill was necessary as long as government ensures fairness and does not use it to victimize preachers. According to him: “Some people are not qualified to preach because they can incite people to violence. But government should do it by recognising prominent religious heads. They are the ones who should be held responsible for infractions among preachers.”

Counter-terrorism expert, Ladi Thompson, believes the bill is “ill-advised.” Much as he admits religious terrorism must be tackled headlong, Thompson, who runs Macedonian Initiatives, said the proposed law will be counter-productive. He said: “There is nothing new about that bill! The same bill has been repackaged and represented many times in different states of northern Nigeria by the men in the shadows.

“Many intellectuals that don’t understand the guile and serpentine cunning of religious extremism could commend this proposal as a good idea but those schooled in religious conflict resolution would recognize the kite for what it really represents.

“Again it could be that the men in the shadows have again repackaged this kite through an unsuspecting el-Rufai as a temporary muzzle for certain unpopular religious sects hoping that the terrorised polity would swallow the bait.

“The sponsors of this kite should know that Nigeria is under scrutiny and global surveillance and terror intelligence no matter how well disguised will not go unnoticed. If care is not taken this proposed bill could well be el-Rufai’s swan song.”

Unconfirmed reports at the weekend stated that a prominent Islamic group was mulling taking the case to court. There are also indications that key Christian and Muslim leaders were consulting with el-Rufai to revisit some provisions in the proposed law.

The Chairman of Northern Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Reverend Yakubu Pam confirmed that the body has a scheduled meeting with the governor sometimes this week. He simply told our correspondent that he was not going to comment on the issue until after the meeting. He said: “We hope our meeting with him goes well.”

March 20, 2016
El-Rufa’i meets CAN over preaching Bill

Amidst growing outrage over plans to regulate religious preaching, Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State on Wednesday met with officials of the state branch of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to seek their support.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Mr Barnabas Bala, met with the CAN officials for about 40 minutes behind closed doors at the Government House, Kaduna.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, the state CAN Chairman, Bishop George Dodo, confirmed that the meeting was on the controversial bill, but said the association would not make any comment for now.

“When we are through with the study, memo will be sent to the state Assembly; on the day of public hearing we will explain more, but now it would be premature to say the position of CAN,” he said.

On concerns raised by the public that the government is trying to muzzle religious freedom, the CAN chairman said: “I don’t think any governor has the power to enact law that will supersede what is in the constitution.

“The constitution guarantees every person the right to practice his/her religion; I don’t think there is any governor that can enact a law in that regard.

“Governors ask for prayers in all places of worship, so how would they enact a law that will ban the practice of religion.”

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that already several Islamic groups, including the state Council of Imams and Ulamas, had rejected the controversial bill.

In spite of the protests, the state government insists that the Religious Preaching Bill is to “protect the state from religious extremism and hate speech”.

The governor’s spokesman, Mr Samuel Aruwan, in a statement after the closed door meeting with CAN officials, said the government is going ahead with the bill.

“This is not a new law, it has existed since 1984, with amendments in 1987 and 1996.”

According to him, the bill has not in any way affected people’s right to religious freedom.

“The bill, by virtue of Section 45(1) of the 1999 Constitution, is in order and does not offend the provisions of the constitution. The provisions of the bill are in tandem with the Constitution.

“There is nothing in the bill that suggests any effort to abolish, stop or derogate on the freedom of religion and religious beliefs.

“It merely seeks to ensure that religious preaching and activities in the state are conducted in ways that do not threaten public order, public safety, and to protect the rights and freedom of other persons,” he emphasised.

March 16, 2016
El-Rufai renegotiates govt’s contract

Kaduna State government has said it has saved N1.1 billion from the N3.685 billion Kawo Road contract awarded by the ex-Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero administration.

Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport Hassan Usman Mahmud, who addressed reporters after the weekly Executive Council (exco) meeting, said the saving was achieved, following a renegotiation of the contract awarded by the last government in December 2014 to Mothercat at N3.685 billion.

The contract is to expand the 5.125 kilometre road from Kawo flyover to Lugard Hall roundabout.

“Following a review of the project, the contract sum was reduced to N2.504 billion,” Mahmud said.

He said the exco has approved the new contract sum and hailed the government for saving N1.1 billion for the state.

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai last September ordered the suspension of the Kawo Road contract, to enable a review of the rate and scope of work on the project.

March 11, 2016
El-Rufai renegotiates Yero’s contract, saves N1.1bn

Governor Nasir El-Rufai led Kaduna State Government said it has saved N1.1bn from the N3.685bn Kawo Road contract awarded by the immediate past government of Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.

This was disclosed by the state Commissioner of Works, Housing and Transport, Hassan Usman Mahmudat a press briefing after the weekly Executive Council meeting.

Mahmud said the saving was achieved following a renegotiation of the contract that was awarded by the previous government in December 2014 to Mothercatat the sum of N3.685bn.

The contract was to expand the 5.125 kilometre road from Kawo flyover to the Lugard Hall roundabout. “Following the review of the project, the contract sum was reduced to N2.504bn,” Mahmud confirmed.

The commissioner further disclosed that the State Executive Council has approved the new contract sum, and welcomed the efforts of the government team in saving N1.1bn for the state.

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai had in September 2015 ordered suspension of work on the Kawo Road contract to enable a thorough review of the rates and the scope of work on the project.

March 10, 2016
APC govts inheritors of Awo’s legacies, says El – Rufai

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El–Rufai yesterday said the All Progressives Congress (APC) governments are the inheritors of the progressive legacies of the first Premier of Western Nigeria, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

El-Rufai said Awo’s great legacies should propel APC leaders and members to strive as he did to meet Nigerians’ expectations.

The governor spoke in Ikenne, Ogun State, as the Chairman of the symposium titled: “Awo, Then and Now: Politics, Economics and Education” to mark the sage’s 2016 posthumous birthday.

The symposium, which took place at the Efunyela Hall within the Awolowo family home, was organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation.

He expressed confidence that if the political marriage between the North and Southwest is “managed and nurtured”, the country would be the better for it.

El – Rufai said the “Change” alliance was forged by the trio of President Muhammadu Buhari, APC national leader Bola Tinubu and former interim chairman Chief Bisi Akande.

The governor added that the union of the progressive forces saw the emergence of Buhari as President.

He said Kaduna State has started Awolowo’s journey of good governance in an era of increasingly dwindling revenue, adding that what is “important and consequential” should drive governance and not what is “popular”.

El – Rufai recalled that the late sage reached an understanding with some prominent northerners in 1983, to stop the hegemony of the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN).

The former Federal Capital Territory Minister noted that despite resistance, Awolowo increased taxation to enable the government fund the universal basic free education, saying 60 years after the region is better for that hard decision.

He described Awolowo as a giant in his lifetime and a political colossus, who galvanised the West for rapid development.

His words: “The topic chosen for the symposium features aspects of Awo’s legacy as a man whose politics were governed by progressive ideas, and a leader who combined what he called mental magnitude with an ability to implement his policies.

“He was rightly regarded as a giant in his lifetime. His achievements were legendary.

“Chief Awolowo stood his ground for the common good. It is a lesson for political office holders, an admonition to do what is necessary, important and consequential.

“As the inheritors of the progressive legacies of Awo, we, the leaders and members of the APC, must strive as he did, to meet the expectations of our people.

The guest lecturer, Prof Segun Gbadegesin, upbraided Awo’s disciples for compromising the ideals bequeathed on them by the late sage.

Gbadegesin of Howard University, Washington, United States, said the disciples have failed to co-operate to uplift the message of their leader.

His words: “Today, there are original disciples of Awo. There are also second and third generation followers.

“They all take seriously the man we all regarded as sage, averter, baba, philosopher and politician.

“The irony is that they all accept him as their political leader, study his words and try to emulate his deeds but they would rather not get together to push the agenda he bequeathed on them.

“They would rather behave like proverbial snakes who wander alone until they become victims of their loneliness.

“The post-Awo disciples would not even cooperate to uplift the message of their great master and leader. How are they different from his adversaries?

“Considering that they would want to resume their chats with Awo in the future, what will be their report? How will he respond?

“I challenge each and every Awoist here today to rethink and reflect on what has been lost to progressivism in the last 29 years of his passing.

“What have they collectively contributed to the progressive maturation and practicalisation of his philosophy?

“How will the present chaos and confusion in the camp of Awo shape the future of his ideals in Yorubaland, in Nigeria and in Africa?

Are they in their inability to get together as Awoists, inadvertently contributing to the strength of his known political enemies, who had predicted his political death more than 50 years ago?”

Gbadegesin said Awolowo did what was possible to make Nigeria great, but Nigeria shunned and disrespected him.

“But for the faithful who believed in him and his strategies for making Nigeria great, he left them the tools, the outcome of his sleepless nights, the result of his deep thoughts, to consult and reflect upon as we struggle for our nation’s progress and development,” he added.

Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun urged the Awo Foundation to ensure that the sage’s legacies and achievements are passed on to generations so that future leaders can emulate him.

In her welcome address, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, urged participants and speakers to examine Nigeria’s situation to ascertain if Awo would endorse the nation’s militarised and over centralised Federal Government.

Other speakers include former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili, Senator Femi Okunrounmu among others.

At the event were Akande, Admiral Akin Aduwo, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Senator Biyi Durojaiye, Senator Oloruninmbe Mamora, Tokunbo Ajasin, Secretary Yoruba Unity Forum(YUF), Anthony Adefuye, Senator Demola Seriki, former Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs. Kofo Bucknor-Akelere and Pastor Tunde Bakare, among others.

March 4, 2016