The rejection of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 recently assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) seemingly flows from certain misconceptions and/or apprehension of the legal instrument, especially as it touches and concerns religious organisations in the country. The body described the Act as unacceptable, ungodly, reprehensible and an ill-wind that would blow no one any good. It therefore called on the federal government to stop the implementation of the law until the religious institutions were exempted from it.
They urged Buhari to urgently return the law to the National Assembly for immediate amendment. The Christian body made the position known last week in a statement by Special Assistant to CAN President, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji. While noting that the association was not against the government fighting corruption, CAN said it rejected the idea of bringing the church, which is technically grouped among the NGOs, under government’s control. Oladeji argued that Nigeria should not be compared to any other nation when it comes to the relationship between religious institutions and government.
The body said: “In Nigeria, people’s religions are tied to their humanity and of course, their life. The satanic section of the controversial and ungodly law is Section 839 (1) &(2) which empowers the Commission to suspend trustees of an association (in this case, the church) and appoint the interim managers to manage the affairs of the association for some given reasons.”
“The Church cannot be controlled by the government because of its spiritual responsibilities and obligations. We recall that during the First Term of the President, there was a Public Hearing conducted by the National Assembly on the Non- Governmental Organisations Bill tagged ‘Bill for an Act To Provide For The Establishment Of The Non-Governmental Organisations Regulatory Commission For The Supervision, Co-ordination And Monitoring Of Non Governmental Organizations’ which was attended by CAN and many NGOs’.
“At the Public Hearing, the Bill that sought to bring the religious organisations and NGOs under the control and influence of the government was totally rejected because it would snuff life out of the church and rank the church as a secular institution under secular control. We thought it was all over until we heard of the CAMA that was assented to by the President, making the rejected bill a law.
“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? For example, how can a non-Christian head of Government Ministry be the one to determine the running of the church?
“It is an invitation to trouble that the government does not have power to manage. Let the government face the business of providing infrastructure for the people. Let them focus on better health provision, food, education, adequate security employment, etc. The government should not be a busy body in a matter that does not belong to it. The government does not have the technical expertise to run the church of God because of its spiritual nature.”
Oladeji warned that “if the government insists on imposing the law on the Church, 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. We call on all well meaning Nigerians to ask the Federal Government to suspend the law because we do not need it in this nation.”
Similarly, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Effurun branch in Delta state last week threatened legal action over the CAMA Act. The NBA chair, Mr. Jonathan Ekperusi, issued the threat when he led members of the legal profession on a courtesy visit to the NigeriaUnion of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondents’ Chapel. He said the CAMA 2020 Act was smuggled into the law establishing the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) through the backdoor.
Ekperusi, who was flanked by Mrs K.P.I. Bello, Kingsley. O. Idisi Esq, Prosper Oke Akpoveta Esq, Oghenetega Ikpen Esq and others, said: “Part “C” which is controversial provision of the CAMA law gives the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, the power to strictly regulate religious bodies including Islamic groups as well as charity organisations and their existence.”
By that Act, he said, the Registrar-General has the powers to suspend trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs without recourse to a court of law. This he said is “violence” of the fair hearing provisions of Nigeria’s Constitution.
Although the position of CAN on the amended CAMA may appear ill-advised, it is our view that the issues raised by the association deserve attention and should be addressed. This has become necessary given the volatility of religion in the country coupled with the fact that Nigeria is already bogged down by multifarious and multidimensional security challenges. The nation, certainly, cannot afford to stoke another crisis.
