Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai came under yet serious attacks for his proposed bill which will see preachers obtain a license before preaching in the state.
Lagos pastor and the chairman of the Fresh Democratic Party, Pastor Chris Okotie, has advised El-Rufai to change his plan regarding the anti-preaching bill in the state.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Ladi Ayodeji and published in Punch, the preacher said the proposed law would adversely affect the image of the ruling All Progressives Congress and project the party as anti-people.
“The governor should also consider that religion is on the exclusive list, and the parameters for effectively executing such a widely berthed licensing action are beyond the purview of government understanding of the numerous religions. The criteria for licensing would be impossible for the government to decide.”
Okotie said he was aware that the new law was intended to check the activities of religious extremists in the state, but warned that it could cause an outrage.
“Instead, we should all unite with the governments in its battle to contain cult violence, street crimes, kidnapping, child abuse and youth restiveness across the country. It is not good for the governor to enact a law that could inflame religious passions at a time when his party, the APC, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, appears to be defeating the Boko Haram insurgent, with the hope of their final defeat clearly on the horizon,” the statement added.
Commenting on the anti-preaching bill, the senator representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani warned that any attempt to pass it into law could set the state on fire.
