Nigeria suspends controversial law that forces church leaders to retire after 20 years

The Nigerian government has suspended a corporate governance code that requires church leaders to resign from their post after 20 years in ministry.

The code's suspension came after a backlash over the resignation of pastor Enoch Adeboye as the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCGG) last weekend. Adeboye, who has led RCGG for more than 20 years, cited the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and the governance code as the reason for his decision.

The Financial Reporting Council Bill, which was passed by the Nigerian Senate in 2011, gave lawmakers the authority to enforce principles of corporate governance for public and private companies in the country, according to World Magazine. A proposal to include nonprofits to the governance code went into effect last October.

The code, which was designed to guarantee financial accountability, stipulates that the founder or leader of a nonprofit cannot stay in authority for more than 20 years or beyond the age of 70. It also prohibits the leader from appointing family members as successors.

Religious leaders have argued that the government should not be allowed to interfere with the affairs of the church.

Following the outcry from the public, President Muhammadu Buhari suspended the implementation of the code and fired the FRC's executive secretary.

Musa Asake, the general secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), argued that the government should not dictate how churches operate, as long as there are no violations of established laws.

"[Government] has no business interfering in a church's affairs because it is a no-go-area. Doing that has serious implications. If they attempt it, it will bring confusion and could trigger off religious unrest in the nation," Asake told Christianity Today.

Olusegun Sotola, a researcher with the Institute for Public Policy Analysis, called on the council to adopt less stringent rules.

"If the real intention is transparency, there are other ways they can do it. Spiritual leadership is divine, so the government needs to separate divine leadership from the managerial aspect of (churches), in terms of their finances," he said.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives admitted a motion to debate the code, particularly as to how it relates to nonprofits.