Religious Regulation Bill meant to curtail evangelism in Nigeria, say Christian leaders

Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state in Nigeria, proposed the Religious Regulation Bill last October which, if passed, would ban street evangelism and what the government may consider as offensive preaching among others. El-Rufai pointed out that this is necessary to curb religious extremism and the cycle of death and destruction in the country. However, Christian leaders are alarmed because they believe that the real motive behind the bill is to persecute Christians.

The clergy argues the bill is no longer necessary because of Nigeria's existing secular constitution. They also claim that most people in Kaduna do not support the statute. Chairman of the Kaduna State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Roman Catholic bishop of Zaria Diocese Rev. George Dodo told Morning Star News, "The proposed law is in contravention of the Nigerian Constitution and shall inhibit the preaching of the gospel when it becomes operational." He added, "We have reservations over the bill and believe that it will curtail religious freedom of the people, particularly, Christians in Kaduna state."

Violation of the proposed law, which would apply to all religions including Islam, would mean up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of 200,000 naira ($1,000) or both. The bill would also require preachers to acquire a one year renewable license in order to preach. The governor clarified in a field interview with journalists on April 3 that an umbrella Christian body and an umbrella Muslim body assigned by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama'atu Nasril Islam (Society for the Support of Islam, or JNI) would be responsible for issuing the said preaching permits and that the government would only have an inter-ministerial body that will do occasional monitoring. The use of evangelical tapes and CDS on public grounds would also to be considered illegal and would warrant the fine of 200,000 naira.

El-Rufai stated that this particular bill may serve as a model for other Nigerian states as well.