CAMA Bill 2020: A non-Spiritual Government Commission Can't Manage the Church - By Olatuja Gabriel-Wealth

Olatuja Gabriel-Wealth

Olatuja Gabriel-Wealth, a Nigerian Entrepreneur has made his thoughts known about the plan of goverment to manage the church, as spelt out in Section 839 (1) & (2) of CAMA Bill.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on August 7 signed the CAMA bill into law, giving provision for religious bodies and charity organisations to be regulated by the registrar of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and a supervising minister.

Section 839 (1) & (2) empowers the Commission 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.

The bill that empowers the federal government to appoint acting trustees for non-profit and non-governmental organisations in the event of a complaint of misconduct has been widely condemned by Christians and the Christian Association of Nigeria.

"Instead of considering a non-Christian head of government ministry to be empowered to determine the running of the church as envisaged by the law, the goverment should rather focus on how to eradicate the corruption and impunity that has ravaged the goverment and its agencies. Goverment should not show any special interest in the Church or christian bodies. Goverment should rather be interested in a common need of the citizenry", Olatuja Said.

"Any agenda to subjugate the Nigerian christians is unacceptable. Goverment should focus on more important things that are related to good governance, provision of good road, healthcare, electricity, infrastructural amenities, quality education, employment for the youth among others. The Church bodies are administering well. The goverment should wait till the church calls for help. For now, goverment should focus on more important and pressing matters and make life better for the Nigerian populace", Olatuja said.

He also added, "the Church is a spiritual organisation and no non-spiritual person or body should be allowed to intrude into the church's affairs. The Church is matching on and the gate of hell shall not prevail"

Meanwhile, CAN has said that the federal government does not have the technical expertise to run the church because of its spiritual nature.

CAN added, “If the government is bent on imposing a law on us which the entire church in Nigeria is against, then, they have declared war on Christianity and the agenda to destroy the church, which we have spoken against before now is coming to the open more clearly.”

The House of Representatives has called on NGOs and religious bodies that have reservations about CAMA to push for the amendment to the law.

Let’s have your thoughts. What do you think of this section of the bill? Leave your comment in the comment section.