Outcry as Niger orders preachers to obtain licence

The Niger State Government has banned unlicensed religious preaching across the state, directing that anyone who wishes to preach must first obtain official authorisation.

The Director-General of the Niger State Religious Affairs Department, Umar Farooq, confirmed the development in a telephone interview on Thursday. He explained that preachers have a two-month window, starting immediately, to secure the licence.

“It is true. The state government has banned unlicensed preaching. Any preacher who wants to preach must secure a licence within the next two months. All they need to do is visit our office, obtain and fill out the form, after which they will face a screening panel before being cleared to preach”

The directive has sparked mixed reactions from religious leaders and scholars.

The Chief Imam of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Bashir Yankuzo, criticised the policy, arguing that preaching was a divine mandate, not subject to government control.

“Preaching is a command from God. The government is not paying anyone for doing the job; people preach to earn the pleasure of God. So, the government cannot dictate who should or should not preach. But if some individuals use abusive language or pose security threats, then the government can step in to maintain peace and security,” Yankuzo said.

Similarly, the Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Niger State chapter, Raphael Opawoye, said the body was unaware of the ban.

The Christian Association of Nigeria is not aware of the ban. We will make an official statement once we are formally informed,” he stated.

An Islamic scholar, Ustaz Hassan, stressed that such a policy should go through legislative processes. “This law needs to be presented to the state House of Assembly for proper legislative action,” he said.

A Minna-based journalist and Islamic scholar, Uthman Siraja, outrightly condemned the ban, describing it as a violation of fundamental rights.

“The ban on preaching infringes on freedom of worship and religion. The best approach is for the government to invite and penalise only those preachers who incite the public in the course of their preaching,” Siraja argued.