The Oyo State Government has sealed a new generation Christian religious center, Christ Life Church, inside Golden Estate, Oluyole, Ibadan, the State capital, for contravening the law against noise pollution.
The measure was taken by the State Government, against a branch of Christ Life Church in the area, after several unresolved steps to mediate among the complainants, residents and the church leadership.
Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola, who spoke to newsmen after sealing the premises, stated that the government was left with no other options, but to seal the church to stem the brewing tensions between the residents and the church members.
Before the government sealed the premises on Thursday, some residents had locked the estate gate against members of Christ Life Church, preventing services to hold recently.
Mogbonjubola, declared that the present administration would not fold its arms and allow escalations of any sort.
The closure came barely two months after 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 to investigate claims made against the worship center.
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 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.
