The President of the Church of Christ in Nations, Rev. Dr. Dachollom Datiri has said that the religious preaching bill being promulgated by the Kaduna State Government is totally unacceptable to COCIN, and that the church will reject it in its entirety.

Speaking at the 90th General Church Council of COCIN on Tuesday, Datiri said the constitution of Nigeria does not discriminate against any religion and the move by the Kaduna State Government to restrict or regulate preaching is clearly a breach of the fundamental human rights of Christians – saying any such moves negates and undermines the constitution of Nigeria.

Speaking further, he commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his efforts at tackling insecurity and corruption in the country. According to him: “While the scourge of Boko Haram has slightly abated, brutal attacks by Fulani herdsmen have claimed hundreds of innocent lives in several parts of the country causing national outcry.

“President Buhari’s response is commendable as long as it goes beyond mere political statements. “We commend President Buhari’s efforts in fighting corruption. “It must be stressed that fighting corruption must be seen as the collective responsibility of all Nigerians.“The truth is that only true disciples have capacity to successfully fight it.”

According to Datiri, the church must be deliberate in stamping out all forms of corruption. Speaking on fuel scarcity, Datiri said the last few weeks have been gruesome as citizens have been battling the crisis, adding: “In the midst of this unbearable situation, and as if to say that we have not seen anything yet, Nigerians were slammed at with the deregulation pronouncement and reality.

On National Grazing Reserve, Datiri said Nigerian lawmakers must appreciate the weight of trust and responsibility bestowed on them by the electorate. “They must see themselves as those who ought to work for equity and defend the common people against those who would oppress and take advantage of others,” he said.

According to Datiri, the idea of grazing reserves is barbaric, adding: “In this civilised world, Nigerian lawmakers must reject this move aimed at keeping some people perpetually dominated.”

Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, who spoke at the occasion, appealed to the church to partner with the state government in order to fight the ills of the society and to continue to promoting the rights and dignity of all mankind.

Lalong said: “Let me call on all spiritual leaders and members of the church to continue to be on their knees in order to sustain prayers to God to help us sustain the peace we are now having in the state.

“I acknowledge the difficulties we are facing as government in view of the current economic downturn, but this situation not withstanding, we are very much committed to ensuring we better the livelihood of our people and give opportunity to explore the potentials we have as a state so that they can live a meaningful life.

“The task of addressing the many economic woes we are facing is no doubt difficult, but the hope we have that after the toils will come a season of fruitful harvest  while we explore other avenues of raising finances to address the issues of salaries in the  absence of  bailout funds, we wish to still assure citizens that salaries will be addressed soon.”

The Gbong Gwom Jos, Da Jacob Gyang, advised citizens of the state to embrace farming.

Gyang praised Governor Lalong for his efforts towards restoring peace in the state.