CAMA controversy: Buhari’s government stoking religious war – CUPP

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Wednesday said that President Muhammadu Buhari has taken the battle against Nigerians to the doorstep of Churches and Mosques on account of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990 (CAMA) as amended.

The opposition political parties’ spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere Imo in a statement sent to CAPITAL POST, described the amended CAMA as obnoxious, anachronistic and a ploy to hijack religious organisations’ finances at a slightest opportunity.

CUPP in the statement stressed that religious organisations are.vpluntary outfit which stems from the spiritual conviction to worship God either as Christian or Muslim, stating that there was a deliberate attempt by the APC leadership working in cahoots with elements who doesn’t mean well for Nigeria to cause religious war.

Part of the statement averred: “This law that allows government to hijack a Muslim or Christian
religious body without express order of a court is nothing, but an
invitation to anarchy, religious war, religious division and destruction
of national cohesion and threat to national unity and harmony and can
best be described as an evil law which must not be allowed to stand.

“Laws are for peace and good governance and not to cause anarchy, violence and desolation.

“We must understand that the funds contributed by Religious organisations and their members are private voluntary funds raised by Religious organisations for their specific religious pursuits and not a subvention from government and cannot be hijacked by the government without an order of a court and cannot also be taken by government and dashed out to any other organisation without considering the interest of those
religious groups that voluntarily raised these funds.

“We agree that there is need for regulation of activities of religious groups but that can be done by enacting laws for religious self regulatory bodies like
the way lawyers under NBA, NMA, Financial professional bodies self
regulate and not a direct take over and subjugation of the Christain and Musilm bodies and their outfits under the control of government and a political party member appointed a minister for trade.

The new CAMA should have expressly exempted Religious bodies and immune them from the
control of a minister of trade and CAC which can be easily influenced
politically.

There have been controversy since the CAMA was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari which the Christian Association of Nigeria has stoutly opposed it as a result of the provisions that empowers government to take over religious bodies on account of crisis bordering its finances.