In a move to end the rising cases of divorce and the increasing crises associated with land ownership among the Christendom in the State, the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Thursday trained Pastors and Church leaders on the need to contract marriages in-line with the laws of the land.
CAN in collaboration with Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON) said the training of Church leaders at this critical time was necessary in other to tame the tide of rising cases of the marriage divorces as well as the increasing cases of land disputes.
Rev. John Joseph Hayab, the CAN Chairman in Kaduna State said, the significance of the training was to help “our clergies and Church leaders to know the provisions of the law regarding landed properties and marriage under the Act.”
“So many of us acquire lands to build Churches and only to find ourselves been challenged at the court. So, we feel instead of the noise about those things, we need to guide the Church to properly follow the law.
“When people have proper documentation of their properties, they know what the law says about their land, it would reduce some of the problems we are facing,” he said.
On issues of resolving conflict associated with marriages, Hayab said, “many of our marriages today are been challenged in court because either the Pastor or those who are in charge are not licensed to officiate that marriage or it was officiated in a Church or a centre where it is not licensed to conduct marriages. So, we want things to be done according to law.”
“We are helping the Church leaders to know the law and go in accordance with law in purchasing and documenting lands and also marriages. These we believe will help in reducing some of the problems we are facing as a Church,” he added.
Also speaking to Journalists at the end of the training, Chairman of the Christian Lawyers, Kaduna State, Barr. Seth Nickson said, the association collaborated with the Church to educate them about “the laws of the land and not to fall in the wrong arm of the law.”
“Practically, what we did today is just an enlightenment campaign to let the Church leaders know some of the things that they are doing right and some things that they are doing wrongly, that they should take corrections.
“We are very impressed with the attendance and we believe that consistence engagements with the Church will help them to be law abiding and to know certain things about their rights and privileges,” he said.
