The Christian Association of Nigeria on Monday submitted its position paper on the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), demanding the suspension of its implementation.
The position of CAN was received on behalf of Buhari by his Special Assistant on Niger Delta Affairs, Ita Enang, during a brief ceremony held at CAN Secretariat in Abuja.
The letter signed by CAN President, Samson Ayokunle, was delivered by a former Chaplain of Aso Villa Chapel, William Okoye.
Others at the ceremony were CAN delegate to the 2014 National Conference and representatives of the President of the Christian Lawyers Fellowship Organisation of Nigeria, Moses Arome; General Secretary of CAN, Joseph Daramola and Special Assistant to the CAN President on Media and Communication, Adebayo Oladeji.
The letter partly read, “We respectfully acknowledge the invitation extended to us to make an input into the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020 following the myriad of objections that attended the enactment of the Act.
“While we sincerely appreciate the courtesy of your invitation, we are, however, constrained from doing so on the following grounds:
We are yet to be availed with the authentic version of the voluminous Act, made up of 870 sections besides the sundry and complex schedules and addendum.
“We consider the Act, as indeed, a complex of statecraft compendium, laden with issues that are grossly inimical to national interest, security, and overall wellbeing of the Nigerian-state.
“From the reactions of stakeholders and a cross-section of the Nigerian-state, it is apparent that the Act either did not receive input from the respective various interest groups or failed to accommodate their views, sundry concerns and varying interests of the Nigerian people.
“Without prejudice to our observations, such a law ought to welcome and accommodate the sundry and varying interests of the Nigerian people.
“Furthermore, we are mindful that comments in public domain are beginning to indicate that CAMA, 2020 has the potential that can further undermine the faith of stakeholders in the Nigerian-state. The reactions from public officeholders have not helped matters because they are binary in perspective and pander towards a fait accompli.
“The dominant schools of thought in the public domain, hold the view that should stakeholders of the Nigerian-state seek judicial intervention or amendment of the Act by the National Assembly, they shall achieve nothing much, as they consider such, as exercises in futility.
“Mr. President, from the foregoing, we are of the opinion that you should kindly issue the appropriate directives to suspend the implementation of CAMA 2020 and affirm a thorough reappraisal of the legislation that is in correlation with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), other extant legal and policy frameworks, the national economy, national security, national interest and the wellbeing of the Nigerian-state.
“In order to participate actively in such an exercise, you may wish to kindly furnish us with an official version as assented by you. This will enable us do the due diligence required, please.”
