The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Sunday faulted the federal government’s newly introduced marriage certificate law declaring it as anti-Christian.
This was just as the group vowed to use all legitimate means to make the federal government rescind on the new marriage certificate law.
The Christian bloc described the policy as exploitative and an attempt to commercialise Christian marriages in the country.
The federal government, through the Ministry of Interior recently announced a compulsory N30, 000 charge licence for Christian worship centres for the conduct of statutory marriages in churches and N21,000 for each marriage certificate.
National President of the fellowship, Rev. Felix Omobude, who stated this in a statement he issued in Benin City, Edo state capital expressed reservation on the policy.
Omobude said: “This is very unfair and to the best of our understanding, the new law is targeted at the Church because the traditional and Islamic weddings are exempted from paying the new marriage certificate fees.
“PFN is at a loss as to why church marriages should be in the exclusive list of the nation’s constitution.
“We (PFN) therefore call on the federal government to immediately shelve the unpopular policy targeted against Christian marriages in the country.
“If the Ministry of Interior is in dire need of funds, it should look elsewhere and resist the temptation of placing extra financial burden on Christians and churches,” Omobude said.
