ANAMBRA STATE GOVERNMENT CLARIFIES STANCE ON PUBLIC PREACHING 

By Chizoba Njaka  :

Governor Soludo’s administration has clarified that there is no restriction on evangelism or public preaching in Anambra State.

According to a press statement by the  Commissioner for Information, Dr. Law Mefor,   Governor Soludo has never prohibited public preaching in Anambra State. Instead, had advised against noise pollution, which is prohibited under the extant Public Health Law, urging citizens to disregard such false claims. 

Dr Mefor referenced the Public Health Law of 2006, which explicitly prohibits noise pollution and indiscriminate preaching in public spaces, such as markets, using loudspeakers. He advised that religious activities should be conducted in designated areas, such as churches or approved gathering spaces, where individuals can congregate and receive spiritual guidance without causing undue disturbance to others or disrupting their activities.

He stated that the current manner of public preaching is resulting in excessive noise levels, thereby constituting a form of noise pollution rather than evangelism emphasizing that noise pollution is a punishable offense under Sections 8(1, 4b) and 9(1, 2) of the Public Health Laws of Anambra State, 2006. 

He noted that the law has been previously enforced, as evidenced by a 2019 ruling by a magistrate court in Nnewi, which held a church accountable for violating this regulation.

* Njaka is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State *