News
Rwanda closes 4,000 churches in safety crackdown
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
More than 4,000 churches have been closed down over the last month in Rwanda for failing to comply with health and safety regulations, including not being properly soundproofed.
It has affected mostly small Pentecostal churches and a few mosques – some of them operating out of caves or on the banks of rivers.
“This is not being done to prevent people from praying but to ensure the safety and tranquillity of worshipers,” Minister of Local Government Jean Claude Musabyimana told state media.
It is the first major crackdown since a law came in five years ago to regulate the proliferation of places of worship.
It requires them to operate in an organised way and in safe environment as well as outlawing their use of loud public address systems.
The legislation also compels all preachers to have theological training before opening a church.
When the law was adopted in 2018 about 700 churches were initially closed.
At the time, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the country did not need many houses of worship, maintaining that such a high number was only fit for more developed economies with the means to sustain them.
Mr Kagame, who has just been sworn in for a fourth term in office with 99% of the vote, rules over a tightly controlled society where his critics say there is little freedom of speech.
The ongoing operation targeting churches is being carried out by local urban authorities in partnership with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB).
The authorities say they are taking a tough line as churches have had five years to fully comply with the regulations.
“The government has taken a stance against proliferation in the houses of worship. We still see cases of dilapidated [structures] and unhygienic conditions,” RGB chief Usta Kayitesi told the New Times news website.
Some of the churches that had been shut down operated in tents, exposing worshipers to risks, Mr Musabyimana said.
So far 4,223 places of worship have been closed, with 427 of those being in caves, reports privately owned Kinyarwande language Igihe news site.
The vast majority of Rwandans are Christians but many also follow traditional practices.
Pentecostal churches, often run by charismatic preachers claiming to be able to perform miracles, have grown rapidly in many parts of Africa in recent years.
Some are massive, attracting thousands of worshipers each Sunday, but others are tiny structures built without planning permission.
News
Reps Quiz Federal Polytechnics Damaturu, Mubi, Monguno Over Infractions
By Gloria Ikibah
News
Obasanjo narrates how he escaped becoming drug addict
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he almost became a drug addict.
He spoke in Abeokuta over the weekend at the second edition of ‘Fly Above The High’ anti-drug campaign conference organised by the Recovery Advocacy Network.
Obasanjo stated that smoking during his youthful age led to chronic coughing and almost became an addiction.
The former President, while lamenting the increase in drug abuse among Nigerians and other West Africans, urged Nigerian students and young people to refrain from abusing psychoactive drugs, saying that they ruin life rather than enhance it.
“If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out.
“There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction.
“We found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” Obasanjo said.
He cautioned against stigmatization and urged individuals who are already addicted to psychoactive drugs to get help.
News
We saved $20bn after Petrol Subsidy Removal and FX Rate Reforms, Says Finance Minister
Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says Nigeria has saved $20 billion from petrol subsidy removal and market-based pricing of the foreign exchange rate.
Edun spoke at a ceremony recently held to mark the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, head of civil service of the federation, in Abuja.
“An amount of five per cent of GDP is what those two subsidies were costing when there was a subsidy on PMS; when there was petroleum product generally for a long time and when there was a subsidy of foreign exchange. Between them, they were costing five percent of GDP,” he said.
“If you say GDP was on average, let’s say $400 billion. We all know what five percent of that is – $20 billion of funds that could be going into infrastructure, health, social services, education.”
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