Anthony Iwuoma
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has advised churches to take their grievances against the new Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) can be resolved through amendments by the National Assembly instead of attacking President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande, the vice president gave the advice in a discussion at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) virtual Annual General Conference.
Though the CAMA Law promotes ease of doing business and reduces regulatory hurdles while also stipulating certain accountability measures by empowering the corporate affairs commission (CAC), churches are kicking against it for containing provisions that churches describe as inimical to its operations. has introduced new provisions that.
Both the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), among other Christian bodies, had rejected the law, saying the regulatory power given to the CAC erodes the church’s autonomy and that churches cannot be regulated by the government.
However, Osinbajo posited that since the matter had become a law, only an act of the National Assembly could amend it and so, advised Christian leaders to send a written proposal to the National Assembly seeking a review of the law.
He said, “We are in a democracy and there is a process by which things can be done and that process is the one where you bring forward amendments to the National Assembly and they will do whatever is considered useful in the circumstance.
“It is a massive legislation that covers a wide range of issues on companies – general meetings, appointment of directors etc.
“Now, there is a small portion of it called the Incorporated Trustees Section, that small section of it is the section that regulates charities.
“Churches, mosques and church organizations are regarded as charities. It is the Incorporated Trustees Section of the Companies and Allied Matters Act that has become controversial.
“And because churches are charities, the provisions in the incorporated trustees section obviously affect the churches.”
He reasoned that opposition to the law had more to do with of fear of abuse of the law than avoiding accountability.
Osinbajo continued, “As a general position, I do not think it will be right to say that pastors don’t want to be accountable. I believe that several Christian organizations and pastors are willing to be accountable.”
Speaking further, the vice president noted that, “The problems that they may have is ensuring that processes are not abused in such a way as to compromise the entire organisation.
“And I think that if all that is required is some process of accountability, I think it will be easier for organizations to accept that.
“The concern of the churches is that it could lead to a situation where practically anybody could be appointed as a trustee to oversee the church and a church or a mosque is a spiritual organisation and if you do not share the same faith with the church or mosque, you may be the wrong person and if a wrong is appointed, you may create more trouble for the organisation.”
