NSCIA, CAN welcome reopening of worship centres
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday reacted to the federal government’s decision to re-open worship centres across the country. In separate interviews with one of our correspondents, the NSCIA Secretary General, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede and the CAN President, Dr. Samson Ayokunle, said the government’s decision was a welcome development.
Oloyede told Daily Trust that while the council welcomed the government decision, it should also take up the responsibility of decontamination of the places of worship across the country.
According to him, “this is to ensure that this would be professionally done and also because the religious centres may not be able to shoulder such responsibility.”
On his part, the CAN President Ayokunle, who spoke through his spokesman, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said the government’s decision, in the interim, welcome development.
“It is our prayers that God will surely deliver Nigeria from the pandemic in Jesus name. If Christians and Muslims return to their worship places to pray for victory over COVID-19, God will surely answer us. The closure of the worship places is not acceptable to God. We thank God for opening the eyes of our government to the reality,” Oladeji said. “The opening of places of worship is a glad tiding,” said Malam Baana, an Islamic scholar who leads a congregation in Maiduguri.
“However, I want to advise Imams and their followers to take responsibility of their actions because our attitude is key to ending the pandemic; we should observe social distancing and other protocols as obtained in Saudi Arabia,” he said. Pastor Andy, a cleric in Jos said prayer is also a key to fighting COVID-19 and other evils.
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