The Lagos State Government has said it would soon begin the registration of religious houses in the state in order to ensure sanity.
The Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Home Affairs, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, who made this known during a Stakeholders Meeting with the Nigeria Inter-religious Council, NIREC, at Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, said that the registration, would help to fish out worship centres that were being used to perpetrate evil in the state.
She explained that a database of all religious bodies in the state would enable ease of reference, as well as ensure effective communication.
She also said that the purpose of the registration was to have easy access to Churches and Mosques in order for them to benefit from government programmes.
The registration which is expected to begin by mid 2020, will be done through an automated platform according to the commissioner.
She solicited the support of the religious leaders with the process.
“We need to know our number, then we can know what we need, we can know where we belong, we can know what we are doing.
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“So, we are coming up with the registration forms and we need your cooperation as religious bodies that represent us at the local government level.
“We will ensure that we have it on a platform that will be automated, then you can do it anywhere, it is not compulsory that you come to Alausa for the registration,” the commissioner said.
Akinbile-Yussuf noted that once the platform was ready, religious bodies would be trained on how to use it for registration and at no cost.
She said that the Ministry of Home Affairs would collaborate with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), to eradicate noise pollution emanating from places of worship throughout the state.
“We want to charge NIREC officials to ensure that they promote good environment by addressing all complaints by communities over noise pollution,” she said.
The Commissioner urged religious bodies in the state to continue to ensure peaceful co-existence, eschew violence and any acts that could lead to wanton destruction of lives and property.
She further charged religious bodies to assist government in community policing by monitoring, preaching, lecturing and praying against criminal acts in the state.
Reacting to an earlier complaint by the NIREC members commissioner called on the local government chairmen that the local government chairmen do not collaborate with the council, the commissioner charged the local governments to carry NIREC along for a better Lagos.
