#CHURCHTALK 29: The reset button called CAMA

Nigerians have a historically lackadaisical culture towards real issues of politics and governance at home. A dispassionate review of our state of affairs in history will confirm this. 

The average Nigerian is only interested in the affairs of governance when it is convenient, or when something unpleasant has been done. But the process of governance leading up to the said unpleasant event is often largely ignored by many. In fact, we are often oblivious of such processes.

Only a few Nigerians, mainly the rich and a few others at the top of the middle class, often pay closer attention to governance processes.

The Nigerian Church or Christian community is particularly culpable in this. The clause "pray for our nation", which has often been promoted by Church leaders, has become a substitute for active monitoring of governance policies, bills and activities, as well as strategic engagement with stakeholders in the three arms of government on critical issues of governance. 

As a matter of fact, many church leaders have constantly promoted the mantra that "Christians should not play very active roles in politics". They often cite the perilously corrupt terrain therein as the reason for that statement. But, is the church not "the light of the world"? 

If the church is full of "good men", should that not be more reason to prop such men up in the field of politics? Why abandon that field to those who are perceived to be corrupt? Does the result of that abandonment prove it wise? 

Nigeria's Christian community does have an apolitical umbrella body called the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN. It is led by various clergymen from various Christian assemblies/churches within Nigeria, and is supposed to constantly engage with any government in place to address issues which affect churches and Christians in Nigeria.

But, CAN has often been accused of pandering to politics and political pressure groups in the discharge of its functions, depending on who is commenting.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Recently, on August 7th, 2020, Nigeria's president, Muhammadu Buhari assented to a new Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) bill prepared and sent to the National Assembly (NASS) by his administration in November 2019.

The NASS had passed the bill in March 2020 which was sponsored by the Senate Majority Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya, just before the commencement of the nationwide lockdown imposed in order to curtail the spread of coronavirus in the country.

Apparently, this didn't even make news until August 7th when the bill was signed into law by the president. 

Perhaps the news of the coronavirus pandemic had drowned out other news, such as the passage of CAMA into law, with a provision that (among other things) empowers the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and "a supervising minister" to demand an audit of religious organizations (often registered as incorporated trustees) as well as NGOs.

Furthermore, the Act also empowers them to suspend, remove and/or replace the board of any religious body, including churches. Interestingly, it makes no mention about whether in the case of faith-based organizations, such replacements should come from within or without that faith and/or the faith-based organization.

For example, if the board of a church were to be removed and an interim leader appointed, the law does not say whether that interim leader should be appointed from within that church, or another church, or another religious faith, or a person who bears no affiliations with any religious faith whatsoever.

Rev. Samson Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) 

CAN, as well as many clergymen in Nigeria, have since voiced their strong oppositions to the new law since it was signed by the president. However, it is now the law of the land, and can only be changed by another act of parliament, assented to by the president. Whether this can happen within the next three years of the current administration can only be imagined. 

How a bill of such strategic importance and consequence on church corporate governance was able to scale through first, second and third readings at the NASS, and get passed into law without making the news is surely a thing of surprise to many. Even CAN seemed to be taken aback by the signing of the bill into law by the president in August, four months after it was passed by the NASS. 

What happened? Was CAN asleep? Did they do anything to protest against the bill at the NASS before it was passed into law?

One cannot help but ask these questions and more. Does CAN have a legislative watchdog that monitors the bills that are being processed by Nigeria's NASS per time? Shouldn't they have one if they don't?

And lastly, is this a time for the church to "pray", to hit the reset button on the "abstain from politics" mantra, and/or to position herself strategically in Nigeria's political/governance value-chain? Is CAMA a sharp rebuke to the erstwhile methods of the Nigerian Church? 

Chukwubuikem Paul Anunaso is a CNBC Africa opinion writer and civil/structural engineer in Lagos, Nigeria. He is also the editor of The Paul Anunaso Blog, and can be reached at anunaso.cp@gmail.com

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