Edo-based clergyman, Apostle Johnson Suleman, has vowed to resist the Company and Allied Matters Acts (CAMA) recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The law permits the registrar-general of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and a supervising minister to strictly supervise religious bodies and charity organizations. The law also gives the commission power to suspend the trustees of an association or a religious body and appoint an interim manager or managers to coordinate its affairs where it reasonably believes that there has been any misconduct or mismanagement, or where the affairs of the association are being run fraudulently or where it is necessary or desirable for the purpose of public interest.
The Christian Association of Nigeria CAN and Bishop David Oyedepo, have come out to condemn the law.
While preaching in his church recently, Apostle Suleman said the government that will come to change the board of trustee of his church, is yet to be born.
People have been asking me to talk about the CAMA bill, the bill that says the government can just give the church a board of trustee, they can suspend some, and I said why will I talk over nonsense.
The government that will change the board of trustee in this Ministry, that government has not been born. This Ministry? Come now, come and do it!”
Describing CAMA as an illiterate bill, the clergyman said
”You said it’s CAMA law, it’s CAMA bill, what kind of stupid…….have you finished managing the Ministry of Agric? Have you finished managing the Ministry of Works? In this country, the Ministry of Work is not working, then you say it is church…come and try it. There are some things that don’t make sense.
Let us not rule out the fact that many pastors just started church because of money. So what you should talk about is transparency. If you say churches should submit their financial report, I will be the first. I will be so happy because by the time you discover that what they are making a month is 5 million Naira but what the man is spending on people is N60 million, wouldn’t you balance me?
It is not even an educated bill. CAMA bill is an illiteriate bill. You do not appoint a board of trustee who has not been around at all and has no stake to the company.
If you wnat financial sincerity, you want financial transparency, then get auditors to audit them. Tell them to open your books. I don’t have a problem with that but to say you sit down and carry one Northern Muslim and appoint him to become a board of Trustee, you are mad.”
Apostle Suleiman said fasting and prayers will be used to kill such a person appointed as a trustee
”You didn’t contribute to the land. You didn’t contribute to the running of the Ministry, 16 years I have been running the ministry, paying salaries, supporting widows, supporting the poor..then they appoint you a board of trustee. You are mad. We will use fasting and prayers to kill you”
