Founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo has described the Company and Allied Matters Acts which also apply to churches as most undemocratic “policy document ever”
He made the declaration today August 16 while addressing members of his church who were having a physical meeting for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.
But a lawyer, Mr. Tomi Vincent who is the legal adviser to the Lagos Chapter of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria and who has been on top of the matter of financial regulations in churches told Church Times correspondent that the CAMA laws had come to stay. He said it was too late in the day for anybody to kick against the Act adding however that it could be challenged in the court of law.
In his message, however, Bishop Oyedepo insisted that the Church is not a company, that churches cannot be subjected to the same laws that companies are subjected to.
He said, “The church is God’s heritage on earth. Molest the wife of somebody and you will see the anger of that person. The church is the bride of Christ. You know how a strong man is when you tamper with his wife. The Church is the body of Christ. We are under obligation to give warnings to wicked rulers so we could be free from their blood.”
He wondered why a law that gives the registrar of CAC the power to remove trustees of the church and close the account of the church without the validation of the court should apply to churches.
“This will never work for the Church works on the pattern delivered by God not the pattern of man. Government has no power to appoint people over churches. This is a secular nation.” He fumed.
Oyedepo who has been consistent in his criticism of government policies lately said the CAMA as it applies to churches is a demonic attempt to stifle the church.
“The church is the greatest asset of God in this country. Please be warned. Judgment is coming. The Lord says I have been still but now I will arise. Anybody that is in this deal is taking poison. This will never work. I am waiting for a day when anybody will appoint a trustee over this church. You can’t gag anybody. We owe this country together.” He insisted.
While declaring that his church can boast of more than 10,000 people who are more than qualified to rule Nigeria, he said, “it is only in Africa that people who are over 80 years still run around to become president. I know that it is the prosperity of the church that is making them jealous. But I am going to live to see an army of many winners soar greater. In this church shall emerge one of the largest concentration of giants on earth.”
Vincent, however, said Oyedepo’s angst over CAMA is coming rather late. He explained that the bill had passed several stages and that since it has been signed to law no church leader could do anything about it again. “All the reactions should have come during the public hearing of the bill. But the Church was too complacent.” He said.
He said, “Government is positioned to even do more than what is contained in the laws of CAMA. The process to get the law out took about five years. I believe there is nothing that can stop CAMA from being implemented except the church is asking to be governed by a separate body of laws which is not possible. The other alternative is to challenge it in the law court or otherwise face the reality of the new law by engineering their operations for compliance purpose”
Vincent noted that many church leaders are going overboard in the way they handle church funds and administration adding that what many church leaders in Nigeria do, can’t be done even in Ghana.
“They are the same laws that are being applied in the UK but many leaders don’t want to comply with what the law says.” He noted.
He explained further that a pastor cannot be a trustee of the church and still draw salary from the church. “It is against the law. The pastor has to choose from either being an ex-officio member and draw salary from the church or be a trustee and not collect a salary. Trustees don’t draw salary from a charity organization which the church is. It is like the money of the charity is being put in the trust of the trustees. They are to account for how the money is being spent.”
On the history of the law in Nigeria, he said, “this is not a recent phenomenon. It has been on the table of discussion since the days of President Olusegun Obasanjo down to President Goodluck Jonathan and now President Mohammadu Buhari. And it is for the good of the church. Nobody is saying the church can’t control its funds.
“What the law is saying is that if you are on a platform where public money is being collected, you should be able to subject yourself to scrutiny on how the money is being spent. Everybody using public funds has a case to answer. You can’t be using public funds and not get their consent before it is being spent.”
He explained further that in advanced countries churches are not allowed to run the way they are run in Nigeria.
“The fact that churches are named after people in the US for instance does not mean the churches are not accountable to the government. The name is just for the purpose of identification and nothing more. They can’t spend public money anyhow. That is why pastors don’t sell their books in the US rather they ask for love offerings for their books.”
Vincent counselled that instead of kicking against the law, church leaders should brace up, study the law and work on how to comply with it. “I believe the law is for the good of the church. It will help bring sanity to the way public funds is being spent.”
By Our Reporter
1 comment
Bishop Oyedepo has been consistent in his criticism of the insensitivity and arbitrariness of the present government in Nigeria. He deserves the commendation and support of the Church. It is however unfortunate that wicked and barbaric policies of government against the Church will always be supported by so called Christians who are feeding fat from government tables.