Chief Of Babadjou Invites Pastors Of All Pentecostal Churches In His Chiefdom To A Meeting On January 13, 2025

Demands That Each Pastor Comes Along With Copy Of Presidential Decree That Authorized The Establishment Of His Church In Cameroon  

 MINAT Boss Had Given Pentecostal Churches That Don’t Have Authorizations To Install In Cameroon, Latest February 15, 2025 To Close

In a communiqué that is raising a lot of anxiety among observers, the Chief of Babadjou, HM KAFFO SAMBANKEINS Langevin, has invited the pastors of all Pentecostal Churches operating in the Chiefdom, to what he terms an important meeting that has been scheduled to hold in the Babadjou Palace on Monday, January 13, 2025. The agenda of the meeting has not been disclosed. However it is stated in the communiqué that the agenda will be disclosed at the meeting,

Meanwhile, what is causing the anxiety, about the January meeting, is that the Chief of Babadjou has in the communiqué, demanded that the pastor of each of the Pentecostal Churches in the Chiefdom,  should come along with a copy of the Presidential Decree that gave authorization for the Church to be opened in Cameroon. Furthermore, the Traditional Ruler of Babadjou, has demanded that each of the pastors should also come along with documents that qualify him as a  Man – of God or Pastor (“Chaque Pasteur est  prie d’etre muni de decret presidential qui donne authorization d’ouverture de son eglise, et des pieces justificatives qui font de lui un home du Dieu , Pasteur”).

Has A Traditional Ruler Powers To Carry Out Control Of Churches?

There are already questions as to whether a traditional ruler has the power to carry out the control of Churches in his Chiefdom. For now however, The Mentor will avoid making any comment or  doing analysis about the meeting convened by the Chief of Babadjou, HM KAFFO SAMBANKEINS Langevin, on Monday, January 13, especially as the agenda of meeting has not been officially disclosed, even if from the content of the communiqué, one can have an idea.

Worth noting that Babadjou Sub-division is in Bamboutos Division of the West Region, and that Babadjou lies on the Mbouda – Bamenda Highway. Elite of Babadjou Sub –division include Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi (Minister of Public Works), Adolphe Lele Lafrique (Governor of the Northwest Region), among others.

MINAT Boss Gave Deadline Of February 15 To Illegal Churches

Meanwhile, late last year, the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, gave all Pentecostal Churches across Cameroon, that don’t have authorization to install in the country, and thus have been operating illegally, latest February 15, 2025, to shut down. He also stressed the fact that only the President of the Republic, issue an authorization through a Presidential Decree, to a Church to install or be created in Cameroon.

Speaking at a press conference in Yaounde, the Territorial Administration Minister said the practice that has been going on, whereby many people go ahead to open their Pentecostal Churches with the pretext that they are waiting for the Presidential Decree, is illegal, as the text does not authorize or condones such a thing. Minister Atanga Nji warned that any promoter of an illegal Pentecostal Church, that will not respect the February 15, 2025 dateline, and thus force an SDO to be the one to close down the Church, will be arrested and taken to court to face the full weight of the Law.

Meanwhile, it is not known whether the Minister of Territorial Administration, has given traditional authorities that are referred to as auxiliaries of the administration, the power to carry out the control of Pentecostal Churches in their different Chiefdoms, to identity those that are existing legally and those with illegal existence.