The Anambra government has expressed concern over the alleged noise pollution from church activities during school hours in Onitsha, the commercial nerve centre.
The education commissioner, Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, stated this while speaking on a petition written to the ministry by a private school in the city.
The school alleged that noise from a nearby church’s activities during school hours was disrupting its academic activities.
Ms Chuma-Udeh described the development as worrisome.
The petition, signed by the school’s proprietress, Ngozi Udeh, was filed against Divine Dominion Prophetic Ministry, located directly opposite the school premises.
According to Ms Udeh, the church, built in 2024, has recently intensified its activities, generating excessive noise, particularly on Tuesdays, when services reportedly run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
She further alleged that the noise was consistently distracting students and teachers, thereby disrupting teaching and learning during school hours, despite several appeals to the church leadership.
Addressing both parties in her office in Awka on Tuesday, the commissioner said the Governor Charles Soludo-led administration would not condone any act that infringes on students’ constitutional right to learn in a peaceful and conducive environment.
She noted that noise pollution was an offence under the Nigerian law and was punishable once established.
She therefore advised religious institutions to ensure that noise generated on their premises was properly contained, especially when schools are located within hearing distance.
Ms Chuma-Udeh also urged the church leadership to explore peaceful ways of coexisting with the school, in alignment with the true values of Christianity, and given that the school had existed in the area before the church was built.
The commissioner ordered the church to reschedule its weekday activities to commence from 4:00 p.m., after school hours. She warned that failure to comply with the directive would compel the ministry to involve the Ministry of Environment, with the attendant legal consequences.
The commissioner said that while churches might hold activities from morning to evening on Saturdays and Sundays, external examinations, such as WAEC, NECO and JAMB, must take precedence, even on Saturdays.
Responding, the assistant pastor of the church, Emmanuel Ukpabi, promised that the church would work harmoniously with the school to ensure mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
(NAN)