The Oyo State Government, on Thursday sealed a new generation Church, located at Golden Estate, Oluyole, Ibadan, the State capital.
The measure was taken by the State Government, against a branch of Christ Life Church in the area, after several unresolved steps taken by the Ministry to mediate among the complainants, residents and the church management.
According to the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Architect Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, the State Government was left with no other options, but to seal the church premises to avert preventable escalations of brewing tensions between the residents and the church on Sunday.
Some members of the community had locked the estate gate against members of Christ Life Church, and preventing services to hold.
Architect Mogbonjubola, declared that the present administration would not fold its arms and allow escalations of any sort.
Officials of the Ministry on receipt of several complaints from next door residents to the Church, over the incessant noise, through official letters and phone calls, visited the area, on Thursday 9th November, 2023.
The team recorded the sound level of the church activities at intervals, starting from praise- worship, with the average reading of Seventy-four (74) DB (daytime), contravening the Extant Environmental Regulations of 2023, Section 58, Paragraph (b) which states that the noise limits for residential areas at daytime must not exceed 65DB.
Hence, it was ascertained with sound measurements that the church constituted noise pollution.
He emphasized that a resolution meeting was held with the parties, in the Ministry’s conference room on 29th November 2023, where the Church refused to sign undertaking letter, with the excuse to get approval from the its Headquarters and report back on Monday 4th December, 2023.
The Ministry frowned at the consistent crisis, which consequently resulted in the sealing of the church.
The Honourable Commissioner however, warned against occurrence of noise pollution, both by churches, mosques, club houses, industries, companies and market places, as violators would be prosecuted.
He reiterated that Oyo State has fully become a rule of law state, where things must be done rightly.