? Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor has frozen the
bank accounts of most churches in Nigeria
under what his office claimed to be seeking for
sponsors of Boko Haram.
Many churches have been stranded since the
past two weeks due to their inability to
withdraw money from most commercial banks
due to a CBN directive that they must provide
their list of shareholders and directors before
they could access their funds. Sanusi is much
aware that churches and Mosques in Nigeria
do not have shareholders or directors.
The churches in addition are required to fill
forms which will be taken to Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for
endorsement before even a kobo will be
withdrawn by them.This stance of the CBN
under Sanusi have crippled a lot of church
activities within the past two weeks.
In Enugu, a cleric who anchors Healing Has
Begun crusade, Archbishop A.A Nwodika had
course to cancel a crusade because the fund to
prosecute it was trapped in banks. In the same
note, the preparations for the Pentecostal
Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) biennial conference
in Enugu State billed for next month is being
hampered because PFN cannot access their
account and their State chairman, Bishop Obi
Onubogu whose attempt to access the funds
was unsuccessful had called upon concerned
members to assist them with aid so that the
conference does not fail.
This stance of the CBN was principally given as
caused by the determination of the Bank to fish
out financial sponsors of terrorism including the
routes through which they launder money. The
Christian Association of Nigeria have
threatened a showdown with CBN and
whosoever is responsible for the order.
The CAN leadership under Oritsejafor had
asked all the churches affected not to fill any
form in any bank . They asked their members
whose funds have been so seized to forward
such evidences to their respective state
secretariat for onward transmission to the
National secretariat.
The legal adviser of CAN have threatened legal
redress if Sanusi and his cohorts at CBN do not
lift the order. CAN leadership gave the order at
Umuahia last week when they converged to
inaugurate the newly elected Abia State Chapter
of the organization.
They argued that churches are registered under
Act C which is for non governmental
organization while the CBN demands is for Act
F which obtains for business organizations.
What is surprising to many is that President
Goodluck Jonathan had earlier said that Boko
Haram sponsors are in his government. His
special assistants on Media, Reuben Abati and
Doyin Okupe had alluded to the fact that Boko
Haram is sponsored by certain Northern
Muslims.
Therefore, one is confused at how pastors and
gospel ministers, especially in the South East,
South West and South South have suddenly
become sponsors and financial backers of
Boko Haram from Sanusi’s directives.
Those involved in money laundering are
politicians and public servants and these
people are accessing their funds freely while
churches and pastors are being unnecessarily
victimized and indirectly tagged sponsors of
Boko Haram.
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