Finally, Pastor Adeboye, ECWA President speaks about the CAMA bill

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, and President of Evangelical Church Winning All, ECWA, Rev. Stephen Panya Baba, in line with the stand of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, have outrightly rejected the Companies and Allied Matters Act signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on August 7.

Section 839 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act which gives a provision for religious bodies, non-governmental organisations and charity organisations to be regulated by the registrar of the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, and a supervising minister.

The CAMA 2020 bill which was signed on August 7th has received backlash from religious, non-governmental and human rights organisations, who are kicking against some sections of the law particularly section 839.

The new law, ”Section 839 (1) empowers the Commission to suspend trustees of an association and appoint interim managers to manage the affairs of the association where it reasonably believes that- (a) There is or has been misconduct, mismanagement in the administration of the association.”

Reacting to the bill, RCCG’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi said that Adeboye’s opinion on the issue is not always different from whatever the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN endorsed.

According to Olubiyi, Pastor Adeboye was in alignment with the stand of CAN and PFN.

Recall that the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), last week described amended Company and Allied Matters Act, CAMA, as satanic.

CAN while rejecting the bill, called on President Buhari to halt the implementation of “the obnoxious and ungodly law until the religious institutions are exempted from it.

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t maintained that the bill will do no good, adding that it is ungodly, reprehensible and an ill-wind.

Speaking to Vanguard, Olubiyi was quoted as saying, “We always align ourselves with whatever the stand of the leadership of CAN and PFN on issues like this. The Redeemed Christian Church of God does not take any decision that is at variance with the stand of CAN and PFN and the same thing applies concerning this very issue.

”Daddy will not take a stand different from the ones of the two organisations, CAN and PFN. CAN and PFN have spoken on the issue of CAMA and as far as the Redeemed Christian Church of God is concerned that is our position too. We are in alignment with that stand,”

“We are displeased and urge the Federal government to do whatever is necessary to repeal this abhorrent law, which is completely unacceptable,” he said, praising the prompt actions of the CAN leadership in condemning the law, which has been variously condemned by several Church organizations and human rights groups.

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Expressing surprise at the silence of Christian members of the National Assembly over the adoption of controversial aspects of the law, the ECWA President called on Christian leaders to engage such members before passing any kind of conviction, suggesting several things in the country’s law-making process.

“We are not in a position to know what actually happened during their discussions, because I know what can make the position of the nation’s Christians known during public hearings in the National Assembly.

“So I will advise our leaders to bring in Christian members of the National Assembly to find out what really happened during the parliamentary debate.

However, I can assure you that whatever the leadership may decide to use to repeal this very unpleasant piece of legislation, we are behind it,” said Reverend Baba.

Globalgistng Nigeria