The Company and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, has been kicked against by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, which described it as satanic.
The law which was signed by President Buhari empowers the supervising minister “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.”
In a statement issued by Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant on Media and Communications to CAN President, Rev Samson Ayokunle, the Christian body said that the law will snuff the life out of the church.
“The Church cannot be controlled by the government because of its spiritual responsibilities and obligations. 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? 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.
“Government should 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,” it said.
CAN also said that what “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.”
This comes days after Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church spoke against CAMA which he says is borne out of jealousy for the church.