Lecturer urges house of assembly to reject Elrufai's religious bill

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February 23, 2016 10:22 AM

Lecturer, John Danfulani who was suspended over a Facebook post has sunk his fangs into El Rufai, asking lawmakers in Kaduna to reject a proposed bill.

John Danfulani, lecturer varsity queries over social media comments

A social critic and Lecturer, Dr John Danfulani, has called on the members of Kaduna State House of Assembly to reject a bill sent to them by Kaduna State governor, seeking to censor religious activities in the State.

The bill for a law to substitute the Kaduna State religious preaching law, 1984 is seeking to stop playing or circulation of “all cassettes, CDs, flash drives or any other communication gadgets containing religious recordings from accredited preachers other than inside one’s house, porch, church, mosques and other designated places of worship” is in committee level after scaling through first and second reading.

The bill, if it succeeds would ban the use of loud speakers in all churches and mosques and offenders will attract punishment while clerics who preach without license would pay a fine of N20,000.

The lecturer in a letter to the Kaduna State House of Assembly, urges the members not to pass the bill into law.

"One must not be bestowed with Solomonic wisdom to project that the security council resolution of January 2016, and the bill before KDSHA will be like a combination of HIV and TB to freedom and liberty of the people of Kaduna State” Danfulani said in the letter.

“There is no doubt that the passage of the bill will provide an opening for "a powerful man" like Governor El-rufai who believes his definition of truth in political matters "is divine" to hunt political opponents and voices of dissents.”

“A democratically elected element who can tell people who don't agree with his idiosyncrasies and intuitions as truth to go climb a mountain and fall, a technical way of telling them to go die- can't and shouldn't be trusted with powers of overseeing and implementing the spirit of such a bill” Danfulani said.

“The bill will be a weapon that will convert people to prisoners of conscience in Kaduna State. In fact, I see the prisons and police cells overcrowded with innocent citizens if this bill is passed by Honourable members of KDSHA” he said.

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