Bishop orders Nigerians to vote

The bishop is worried about voter apathy

A Roman Catholic bishop is using tough tactics to promote democracy in Nigeria, a deeply religious nation.

Bishop Francis Oboko has warned worshippers that they will be turned away from church if they do not register for April's elections.

"We believe that a good Christian must also be a good citizen," a church spokesman in the bishop's diocese said.

The polls should see the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another since independence.

The ongoing voter registration exercise has been heavily criticised for failing to reach some estimated 60m voters in Africa's most populous country

The BBC's Senan Murray in Abuja says there is growing political apathy in the country as some people think their vote will not count and therefore consider it a waste of time to register.

There are some 30m Catholics in Nigeria, according to church estimates.

'Social mobilisation'

The bishop from the Nsukka Diocese, in south-eastern Enugu State, said parishioners would not be allowed to take Holy Communion - a key part of Catholic worship - if they failed to register to vote in the elections.

We are trying to make our parishioners to realise that they cannot hold a government they did not vote in to account Father Obiora Ike

"It is not enough to go to church and ignore your civic duties. Both go together and the church will be failing in her duties if she failed to emphasise that," Diocese spokesman Father Obiora Ike told the BBC News website.

He said the bishop's directive became necessary due to "a noticeable lack of interest in politics" among members of the parishioners.

From 7 February any parishioner that fails to show a valid voter card will not be allowed to take the Holy Communion.

"The bishop is not only a firm believer in good Christian values, but he's also a firm believer in good citizenship and a good citizen must honour his or her civic obligations," Fr Obiora said.

"What we are doing is using religion as a tool for social mobilisation. We are trying to make our parishioners realise that they cannot hold a government they did not vote in to account.

"So, we are enlightening our congregation to register so that they can vote. We believe that people who are aware make good choices."

President Olusegun Obasanjo steps down in April after eight years in power.

Nigerians will not only be electing a new president, but also state governors and lawmakers.

In a survey for the BBC three years ago, Nigeria emerged as the most religious country in the world, with 91% of people saying they regularly attended a religious service.