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Christians React To Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulation Law

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The Coalition of Christians with Conscience (CCC) have expressed their dissatisfaction over the new Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulation Law banning night vigil, Christmas Eve, Easter and New year eve celebration for Christians Kaduna.

The Coalition of Christians with Conscience (CCC) have expressed their dissatisfaction over the new Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulation Law banning night vigil, Christmas Eve, Easter and New year eve celebration for Christians Kaduna.

In a statement signed by Daniel and the Secretary of the coalition, Paul Musa, the coalition said that the law, which is termed, The Kaduna State Religious Preaching Regulation Law, 2019, contains several areas that will directly affect the worship mode of Christians in Kaduna State.

A part of its provisions criminalizes _” Any person who plays a religious cassette or uses a loudspeaker for religious purposes between the hours of 11 pm and 4 am._ ”

This is very disturbing as it means that Christians cannot hold night vigils, celebrate Christmas, Easter and New year eve in the evenings which fall typically within those hours. The provision is also divisive as our Muslim brothers are allowed to say their prayers at 5 am after the ban for Christians.

That this law seeks to ‘accredit preachers’ and appoint regulators of faith means that it is the state government that will determine what is preached or not. Has the state purged itself of its own political woes as to move into the sphere of faith? Surely, we are not in a theocracy but a democracy. The state and faith must be well separated. It is surprising that politicians who use thugs and take over the streets with loudspeakers do not have laws that will regulate them yet think that worshippers are the people to be regulated.

The law also defines a designated place of worship as ‘ _a building constructed with permission sought for and obtained from the Kaduna State Urban Development and Planning Agency (KASUPDA) for the purpose of religious worship.”_

In many states of northern Nigeria, Christians are not allowed to buy land and build churches, imagine how difficult it will be for Christians in Kaduna state to obtain permits to build churches if this law is passed.

The CCC urge the Governor Nasiru El-Rufai to reconsider its position and not pass this into law.

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