The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), on Thursday, condemned the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, of the Federal Government.
The association said the policy was orchestrated to deal with churches.
President Muhammadu Buhari had, on August 7, signed into law the CAMA Bill, 2020. The bill, which had been passed by the National Assembly, replaced the 1990 CAMA.
Section 839 (1) and (2) of the Law empowers the supervising minister “to suspend trustees of an association (in this case, the church) and appoint interim managers to manage the affairs of the association for some given reasons.”
The CAN President, Rev Samson Ayokunle, in a statement, signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Adebayo Oladeji, said implementing the law would amount to a declaration of war on the church by the Federal Government.
He said, “The leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria rejects, outright, the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 that was assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari recently.
“The law, to say the least, is unacceptable, ungodly, reprehensible, and an ill-wind that blows no one any good. It is a time bomb waiting to explode.
“While we are not against the government fighting corruption wherever it may be found, yet we completely reject the idea of bringing the church, which is technically grouped among the NGOs, under control of the government. The Church cannot be controlled by the government because of its spiritual responsibilities and obligations.”
CAN queried, “How can the government sack the trustee of a church which it contributed no dime to establish? How can a secular and political minister be the final authority on the affairs and management of another institution, which is not political?
“How can a non-Christian head of government ministry be the one to determine the running of the church?”
The statement said the law was an invitation to trouble that the government had no power to manage.
The Christian leaders noted, “If the government is bent on imposing a law on us which the entire Church in Nigeria is against, then, they have declared war on Christianity and the agenda to destroy the Church, which we have spoken against before now is coming to the open more clearly.
“If you cannot give us good amenities of life, we would not allow you to take away our liberty to worship our Maker.”
