Niger Preachers Must Get Sermons Approved, Says Gov Bago

Niger State Governor Umar Bago has announced that all preachers in the state must submit their sermons for approval before delivering them to their congregations. The governor made this declaration during a Sunday interview on TVC, where he also clarified certain provisions of a law aimed at regulating preaching activities within the state.

Governor Bago emphasized that the directive does not amount to a ban on evangelism. “I didn’t ban evangelism,” he stated. “Anyone preparing for Friday sermons should bring their scriptures for review. This is a normal practice, even in countries like Saudi Arabia.”

He explained that the regulation aims to prevent the spread of messages that may be harmful to the public or the government. “We cannot allow clerics to preach messages that are anti-people or anti-government and expect it to be normal,” he said.

Addressing concerns about potential indoctrination, Governor Bago admitted that the move is partly to monitor content. “We want to see what they are preaching and hear what they are saying. We are working closely with security agencies including the DSS, Police, NSCDC, and the military,” he added.

This directive, initially made public earlier this month, has sparked controversy. The Director-General of Niger State Religious Affairs, Umar Farooq, had earlier stated that anyone wishing to preach in the state must obtain a licence, giving preachers a two-month period to comply.

“The State Government has indeed imposed a ban on unlicensed preaching. Any preacher who wants to preach must secure a licence within the next two months,” Farooq said.