Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has announced that all religious leaders in the state will now be required to present their sermons for review and approval before addressing their congregations.
Speaking during an interview on TVC’s Politics on Sunday, the governor clarified that the directive was not a ban on evangelism but a step aimed at curbing messages that could incite hatred or disrupt public peace.
According to Bago, the measure is intended to stop clerics from delivering sermons deemed harmful to society or antagonistic toward the government.
“I didn’t ban evangelism. For everyone going to sermon on Friday, he should bring his scriptures for review, and it’s normal. Even in Saudi Arabia, this is done. We cannot say because you are a cleric, you will go out and preach the gospel that is anti-people, anti-government and think it’s normal,” he explained.
