State Control of Religion in Nigeria: The Dilemma of a Secular State (Published)
The coming into effect of the companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020; the assent of the president having been obtained; was viewed as a step in the right direction; regard being had to the laudable innovations introduced by the Act. The new Act paves way for e-commerce amongst others goodies. Beyond the laudable provisions of the new Act is the aspect that touches the raw nerves of religious bodies; especially the church, which has vocally condemned some of the provisions of Part “F” of the Act. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has been reported to have described some provisions of the Act as “Satanic” and capable of sniffing life out of the church thereby; reducing it to a secular institution under a secular state[1]. The paper inquired into the legal justifiability of CAN’s apprehension; adopting the doctrinal research methodology, the sociological and naturalist theories. The paper found the said provisions capable of being applied for some mischief and made recommendations that would handle the likely dangers imposed by the affected provisions of the new Act.
Keywords: charity organization, not –to- profit organization, religion; church., secularity, trustees