Religious bill: You cannot license preachers - Court tells El-Rufai

Kaduna state government has been told that it has no right to screen and issue licences to religious preachers in the state - A Kaduna state high court, which gave the ruling, however, asserted that the government has the right to regulate religious activities in the state - A bill, which will subject preachers to screening by government agency, was introduced by Governor Nasir El Rufai during his first term as governor of the state - The presiding judge, Justice Hajaratu Gwadah, says sections 6 and 9 of the bill which seeks to screen and license preachers, violates the constitutional rights of the applicant of the suit A Kaduna state high court has told the state government that it has no right to screen and issue licences to religious preachers in the state. The court, presided over by Justice Hajaratu Gwadah, however asserted that the government has the right to regulate religious activities in the state, Vanguard reports. Legit.ng gathers that the judgement was delivered in suit filed by the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), challenging the constitutionality of the bill on the regulation of religious preaching in the state,that the bill was introduced by governor Nasir El Rufai in the early part of his first tenure as governor of the state, and was passed by the state House of Assembly. According to the PFN, subjecting preachers to screening by government agency is an infringement on fundamental human right. It asked the court to declare that setting up a committee for the screening and licensing of preachers, as provided in the bill, is a violation of their rights. In her ruling, Justice Gwadah, noted that the bill does not seek to abolish the rights of applicants as fundamental human rights is not absolute. The judge, however, noted that sections 6 and 9 of the bill which seeks to screen and license preachers, violates the constitutional rights of the applicant. Reacting to the judgement, counsel to the PFN, Sunny Akanni, said: "In Christianity, not only ordained pastors preach. Every Christian is commanded to go ye into the world and preach the gospel. “Section 38, (1) of the Nigeria constitution allows everybody to propagate his religion in teaching, in observance and in action. So when you now say pastors should be licensed you have infringed on their right. That is why the court agreed with us that section 6 of the bill is against the constitutional right of PFN." Counsel to the state governor, who is one of the respondents in the case, Sanusi Usman, said the judgement would be appealed. Meanwhile, Third Eye previously reported that the Kaduna state governor, Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, created three new ministries and abolished three others. A statement by spokesperson to Governor El-Rufai, Samuel Aruwan, said the restructuring did not increase the number of ministries beyond the 14 that existed in the first term.