The continued closure of worship places occasioned by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have tasked the forbearance of religious leaders in the country. The presidential order that shut down the worship centres also affected schools, government offices, private organisations, sports, entertainment and markets. However, workers in the health and other essential services were exempted from the lockdown while markets are allowed to open on certain days in a week. The Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states, were the first casualties in the lockdown order. And while the lockdown is being gradually relaxed in the three locations and the weeks progressed, schools and worship centres (churches and mosques) remain locked.
Following the gradual easing of the lockdown, religious leaders in the two dominant faiths have been calling for the opening of places of worship despite the spike in COVID-19 cases across the state and the Federal Capital Territory. In the last few days, prominent religious leaders across the country have been calling on the authorities to reopen worship centres. Some Christian religious leaders, in separate widely public publicised messages, have called on the federal and state governments to reopen churches across the country.
The presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, had, in one of his public statements, queried the government’s decision to partially open markets while churches remain shut in many states, including the nation’s capital. According to him, keeping churches locked up while opening markets was tantamount to working against the growth of the church in the country. The General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Joseph Daramola also faulted the continued closure of churches. Daramola argued that churches can also maintain social distancing while conducting services or other religious activities.
The cleric maintained that the government cannot separate the religious environment from that of the economy, adding that churches are even more orderly in conduct than the market. Also lending a voice to the call for the reopening of worship places was the Metropolitan Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, Ignatius Kaigama. He cited the decision by countries like Italy, Germany, the United States and some other countries in Europe to gradually reopen their churches in the coming days. Italy had reopened its churches a few days ago. Kaigama said if those countries worse hit by the pandemic could consider reopening of their churches, there was no reason for the authorities in Nigeria not to do the same.
Kaigama said: “We in the FCT are well placed to control our worshipping community members. We believe that religious leaders can make the most prudent use of places of worship and assist the government in enlightening people about the social consequences of COVID-19”.
In the midst of this, some state governments have reopened worship places and have lifted the ban on a religious gathering in their various states. The states include Cross River, Ebonyi, Kano, Borno, Zamfara and Bauchi, among others.
But the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, advised Muslims to observe prayers at home following safety precautions issued by the Presidential Task Force (PTF). The authorities in the federal capital territory have been strict in the enforcement of the ban on worship places. In the past few weeks, a task force, set up to enforce compliance, had arrested and prosecuted several religious leaders for flouting the restriction order.
In a chat with news men, the chairman of the FCT Ministerial Task-team on the enforcement of COVID-19 restriction, Ikharo Attah, it has been a tough task enforcing the restriction order. According to him, no fewer than 11 Imams and eight pastors had been arrested and prosecuted for flouting the order.
“Our problem has been some Pastors and Imams who are not helping matters by still gathering their members for worship. This must stop to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
And despite pressure from Muslim and Christian religious leaders, Minister of the FCT Mallam Muhammad Bello vowed to keep places of worship shut-in Abuja. Explaining reasons for the development, Bello said the FCT is guided by advice by medical experts and guidelines from the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. Bello spoke during a recent meeting with some religious leaders in his office.
The minister said: “Based on the guidance of the medical experts and consultations with the highest authority, the Presidential Task Force gave a decision and communication on the fact that all the measures approved two weeks ago be extended for another period to enable organisations, individuals and all of us plan for a gradual opening up of the society.”
Stating that advice from medical experts did not support reopening of worship places, for now, the minister insisted that the reopening of worship places in the capital city would be based on a signal from the Presidential Task Force. He, however, assured that a team consisting of representatives of religious leaders and FCT officials had been raised on the matter. The team, the minister said, would work out modalities and protocols for places of worship anytime the lockdown is relaxed.
“Therefore certain protocols such as the use of face masks, compulsory hand washing and social distancing will have to be adhered to when places of worship eventually re-open. This will also include the identification and placement of modalities for the decontamination of all places of worship. These protocols are necessary so that when eventually places of worship are re-opened, they will be done with minimal risks to the worshippers,” the minister said.
