Religious bodies seek lesser re-opening conditions

By Olushola Okewole

Religious leaders in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) said they are not ready to re-open worship centres until the government lessens the conditions.

ECHONEWS gathered that the June 19 and 21 announced by the Lagos State Government for the commencement of worship in various religious centres across the state may still not be realised as religious leaders and stakeholders have not agreed with the government on the conditions for the reopening..

Initially, mosques and churches would have been reopened in the first week of June after the announcement by the Presidency that each state and local government could do so but the conditions attached to the re-opening were rejected by the religious bodies.

The federal government had declared that churches and mosques could go back to congregate with the final modalities from the state government putting in place safety measures to ensure the coronavirus is not on the increase as the worship centres resume.

The reopening of the worship centres earlier scheduled for the first week in June was later postponed while June 19 and 21 were later announced by the state government for mosques and churches resumption to congregate respectively.

With the uncertainty about the said date, the grand Chief Imam of Ejigbo, Alhaji Mikhail Sanni, confirmed to ECHONEWS that the June 19 and 21 dates have been changed as discussion is still ongoing with the state government.

He said the conditions for the churches and mosques to resume worship are too harsh.

He appealed to the state government to allow worshiping God to resume as people are eager to go back to their various worshiping centres to pray.

According to him, true worshippers have been starved enough of worshipping God, claiming that mosque needs to be open so that people can call on God to resolve their challenges noting that many people found it difficult to worship and pray at home.

He said when the government is ready, the mosques are ready to start worship and to abide by the rules.

Also commenting, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ejigbo LCDA, Rev. Stephen Oyinlola, said the body is seriously working on the churches to resume worship services.

He explained that churches could not abide by some of the conditions given by the government.

Some of the conditions are that a church could only have a congregation of 20-50 people per worship; anybody below the age of 15 years and above 55 years should not be allowed to worship in either mosque or church while there should be no interpreter.

Rev. Oyinlola stressed that if more than 50 people could be managed in the markets and if over 55 years person could still be going to office, churches should be allowed to worship.

He said that the church is co-operating with the government and ready to abide by other conditions to fumigate the churches, remove rugs from churches using it and make washing facilities and sanitizers available among other things.

He said the June 21 announced for the resumption of churches is still a proposed date as the body is waiting for government’s reply to its requests.