If we can re-open markets, banks , it is very wrong to close the church – CAN

The Christian Association of Nigeria has admonished the Nigerian Government to lift the ban on Churches.

CAN insisted that since offices and markets could be reopened, the same privilege should be accorded religious institutions.

A spokesperson for CAN President, Pastor Bayo Oladeji, spoke on Coronavirus and religious institutions in Nigeria.

Oladeji said the church’s role was critical to the solution being sought for the Coronavirus pandemic, noting that prayers were essential in the war against the virus.

He said, “If we can re-open markets, banks; if the government can re-open their offices, if the Nigerian Port Authority can be opened since COVID-19 became a pandemic in Nigeria, it is very wrong to close the church.

“In the Church, we have rules and regulations guiding the way we meet. Before they closed worship places, they advised that there should be sanitizers, water for people to wash their hands and social distancing should be observed. There is no Church against that.

“In some states in this country where they relaxed the lockdown, they allow worship places to open. There are no facts and figures to prove that when they relaxed the order, the pandemic became uncontrollable. The closure of worship places has nothing to do with the spread of the pandemic.

“Let the government advise religious leaders to observe these rules. I don’t know of any religious group that would say no to it. If people go to church, they go to pray for God to give us a solution and intervene and you ask them not to go. We are calling on the government to reopen the churches … but let them follow regulations.