Niger Gov under fire for asking preachers to submit sermons for approval

The Concerned Christian Youth Forum (CCYF) has rejected the newly introduced law in Niger State requiring preachers to submit their sermons for government approval before public delivery.

In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its Convener, James Paul Adama, the group described the policy as “anti-religious, oppressive, discriminatory, and a gross violation of fundamental human rights.”

According to the CCYF, the law amounts to religious censorship and contravenes Sections 38 and 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, which guarantee freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and expression.

The forum also pointed to international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, which prohibit restrictions on the right to freely practice religion.

The CCYF argued that Niger State is currently grappling with insecurity, widespread poverty, inadequate infrastructure, and one of the lowest literacy rates in the country, insisting that the government should direct its focus to addressing these developmental challenges instead of stifling religious freedom.

While stressing that it does not support reckless or inciteful preaching, the group maintained that subjecting sermons to prior approval by government authorities is “retrogressive, illogical, and detrimental to peace and unity.”

It therefore called on Governor Umar Bago to withdraw the law immediately in the interest of justice, peace, good governance, and respect for both constitutional and international guarantees of religious freedom.