COVID 19: FCTA commends churches over adherence to protocol

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Sunday, lauded the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and other church leaders in the territory for complying with the COVID-19 guidelines for religious gathering.

Chairman of FCT Ministerial Task-team on the Enforcement of COVID-19 Restrictions, Mr Ikharo Attah, gave the commendation in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, shortly after inspecting some churches to ensure total compliance of protocol on the religious gathering.

He commended the First Baptist Church, Gimbiya Street in Area 11 for its strict adherence to the guidelines.

According to him, “entering the church through the gate, we met some personnel who checked our temperature and gave us sanitizers to apply on our hands. As we entered, we saw several hand washing points. This is what the FCT minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, and the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, want to see.”

Responding, the CAN Northern Central Chairman, Reverend Israel Akanji, who said the Church had already given its word to the government to abide by the guidelines, therefore, commended the minister and the Task team for monitoring to ensure compliance.

At the ECWA Church, Maitama, the team met with the FCT CAN chairman, Reverend Samson Jonah, who said: “for the Church, compliance with government rules, particularly one like this that bothers on the health and safety of Christians is a must.

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“We would continue to do our best to sustain it. We met with the pastors in FCT and directed that the guidelines be strictly adhered to,” he insisted.

While responding, the chairman of Task-team, Mr Attah said, “the church had truly proved itself to be the light and salt of the world as Christ commanded in Mathew Chapter 5 verse 13 to 17.”

At the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, where the team met with Bishop Anselm Umoren, Mr Attah commended the Church for opening a registry of members as parts of efforts to ensure contact tracing should anyone come down with coronavirus.

Addressing the team, the bishop said, “the Catholic Church across the Federation would always abide by what is good for its members and citizens of the country.”

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE