The Niger State government has banned religious preaching in the state and ordered anyone who wants to preach to obtain a licence.
Confirming the development,the Director General of the Niger State Religious Affairs, Umar Farooq, said any preacher who wants to preach must obtain a licence.
He disclosed that preachers have between today and the next two months to obtain their licences.
According to him,“All they need to do is to visit the office of the State Religious Affairs, get, and fill out the form. After which, they will have to face a panel that will screen them before they can start preaching,”
The ban has however received mixed reactions from religious groups in the state. While some are of the view that the ban is an infringement of religious rights and called for the action of the State Assembly, others vow to look at it when properly informed .
Niger State,a multicultural setting is located in Nigeria’s North Central . There are diverse religious practices – Islam which is the dominant religion, Christianity and traditional religion, making the state to exercise religious freedoms and tolerance.
