Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has directed preachers in the state to submit their sermons for approval before delivering them, as part of efforts to regulate religious preaching.
Speaking on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, Bago clarified that the move was not a ban on evangelism but a measure to prevent incitement through religious messages.
“I didn’t ban evangelism… For everyone going to sermon on Friday, he should bring his scriptures for review, and it’s normal. Even in Saudi Arabia, this is done. We cannot say because you have been given the opportunity to be a cleric, you will go out and preach the gospel that is anti-people, anti-government and you think it’s normal,” the governor said.
He added that the measure was designed to check indoctrination and would involve collaboration with security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS), Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and the military.
The directive, which became public earlier this month, requires preachers to obtain licences before preaching. The Director-General of the Niger State Religious Affairs, Umar Farooq, explained that preachers have two months to comply.
“It is true, the State Government has banned preaching. Any preacher who wants to preach must secure a licence between now and the next two months. All they need to do is to visit our office, get, and fill out the form. After which, they will have to face a panel that will screen them before they can start preaching,” Farooq stated.
The new policy has, however, generated mixed reactions. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Niger State chapter, through its secretary, Raphael Opawoye, said it was unaware of the directive and would respond officially once notified.
Similarly, Islamic scholar Uthman Siraja criticized the law as an infringement on freedom of religion.
“The ban on preaching is an infringement of freedom of worship and religion. The best thing for the government to do is to invite and penalise any preacher who incites the public in the course of his preaching,” Siraja argued.