For some time now, there has been ample opposition to the policy initiatives of the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El Rufai. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is perhaps the governor’s fiercest critic with respect to a proposed law to regulate religious activities in the state. The bill is aimed at banning the usage of loudspeaker for religious purposes “other than inside a Mosque or Church and the surrounding areas outside the stipulated prayer times.” Governor el-Rufai wants to legally stop the playing or circulating of “all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers other than inside one’s house, porch, Church, Mosques and other designated places of worship.” The bill also seeks to ban sales or playing of any cassette containing “religious recordings in which abusive language is used against any person or religious organisation or religious leaders (past or present).
Any person found guilty of preaching without a valid licence and other offences under the proposed law “shall be liable to two years in prison or a fine of N200, 000.” Leading the pack of those opposed to the bill is Prophet Chris Okafor of the Liberation City Church who imagined that El Rufai was only being used to test run the bigger plan to Islamize Nigeria, Before his congregation of worshippers and on live television viewed around the world, Chris warned Governor El Rufai to drop the proposed law or be ready to die in 14 days with effect from March 20, 2016 when he gave the warning. Bearing in mind that there could be good intentions behind the law, the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins did not similarly dismiss the proposal. Instead, he advised the Kaduna State Government to listen to the key stakeholders in the state before introducing its proposed religious bill so that the law can be just and effective.
As if to give credence to the good intentions behind the law, the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Yusuf Bala, allayed the fears of critics when he told a delegation of the state chapter of CAN that the government was only anxious to curb religious extremism in the state The bloody clash in Zaria between the Army and the Shiites last December leading to several deaths is a sufficient reminder to any proactive governor to put in place a number of legal provisions to regulate the conduct of religious activities in the state. This seems to explain why the communiqué of the December 2015 meeting of the 19 Northern Governors stressed that all organizations, whether religious or social, must operate within the law. Those who know El Rufai as a leader with an eye on the verdict of history should thus not be surprised to see him initiating proactive policies which may be unpopular to some interest groups. It is a rational way to handle Kaduna State where Maitasine riots in October 1982 led to the death of several people in Rigassa village and beyond; and where in 1992 hundreds of people were killed in religious riots in Zango-Kataf and environs. In February and May 2000, and again in February 2001 as well as in May and November 2002, massive destruction of lives and property took place in Kaduna metropolis.
El Rufai certainly remembers how in April 2004, religious protests in Makarfi town over what was described as the desecration of the Quran by a Christian teenager virtually engulfed the state. The Nigerian Constitution allows several freedoms including that of worship but the same constitution in Section 45 empowers those in authority like el Rufai to take steps to prevent anyone from enjoying his own freedom to the detriment of his neighbour and the rest of society. We all know that many religious groups in Nigeria are unwholesome in their worship. Among other things, they deliberately block movements and also mount loudspeakers to amplify their prayers thereby serving as a nuisance to society. Well meaning Nigerians ought to support laws which require them to be temperate and considerate in their operations. After all, there is no proof that the religious leaders are sincere and interested in the moral and spiritual reformation of the country.
The outgoing President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor confirmed this in a recent media interview that “most people who claim to be pastors are in reality not men of God but ‘commercially minded people who have turned the church into a business centre.” Accordingly, other governors should emulate el Rufai and help to stop the nation’s current height of pervasive indiscipline. Unfortunately, many of them perhaps out of fear of dying in 14 days, do not have the courage to hold the bull by the horn and call off the bluff of unpatriotic interest groups. For example, the nefarious activities of several operatives in uniform who go by several names such as Vehicle Inspection Officers etc are left unchecked. As part of regenerating the Kaduna society, Governor El Rufai in December 2015 dissolved the agency in the state as it was clearly not serving the public interest. One of the reforms being proposed for its replacement is the prohibition of the collection of cash revenues by any person or organizations. All payments will now be made through bank or electronic transfers.
Many Nigerians take delight in appropriating any available land and building without permits often blocking the central sewage system and distorting the master plan of a town. Kaduna says that can no longer happen. In the case of fuel, many political leaders watch helplessly as Nigeria remains a country where what is described as scarce is available everywhere except at its legally designated location. So, during scarcity, fuel is not available in any petrol station but can be found in abundance opposite the stations in jerry cans. So, Kaduna banned the hawking of petroleum products and asked defaulters to be arrested. While not applauding the mismanagement leading to the fuel crisis, the absence of order and discipline would certainly exacerbate the crisis. Kaduna, which always bells the cat is often chastised as wicked, but its so called unpopular policies are the only things that can stabilize society.
VANGUARD
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