Churches were opened to Christians in several states of Nigeria to worship on Sunday June 7.
Among the states where Christians worshipped in their churches were Kwara, Osun, Kwara, Imo and Abuja, the nation’s capital.
This churches opened following the lifting of the ban on worship centres by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on June 1.
The Task Force chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, had given some stringent conditions for the reopening of churches and mosques.
The conditions include maintaining social distancing, wearing of face masks by worshippers and provision of hand sanitisers at the entrances of churches.
The worship centres had been shut down in March as a measure to curtail the spread of dreaded COVID-19.
Before the lifting of the ban, however, some states had announced plan to open the worship centres.
As of May 23, about 11 states said they would open the worship centres the following day Sunday May 24.
The states are Nasarawa, Ebonyi, Delta, Bauchi, Taraba, Rivers, Gombe, and Adamawa.
Others are Katsina, Cross River, Kogi and Borno States.
The states had at different times imposed the ban on worship centres to check the spread of the dreaded virus, which had claimed the lives of over 200 people in Nigeria.
Churches in Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital and epicentre of COVID-19, did not open on Sunday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had announced last week that the mosques would open to worshippers on June 19 and the churches on June 21.
In Abuja, Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), which has the largest auditorium in the city held two services, which began 8am and 10am respectively.
The church, which has the largest auditorium in the city, complied with guidelines given by the PTF as worshippers not only wore face masks but also had their hands sanitised at the entrance of the 100-seater auditorium.
Although, there was a low turnout, the worshippers present were excited to return to church after about three months that the ban on worship centres lasted.
Senior pastor of the DIGC, Pastor Paul Enenche, told the worshippers that the difficult days were over, adding that the opening of the churches had come to stay.
He said the church would fulfil all righteousness by obeying the government’s directive because no sickness, including COVID-19 could survive the atmosphere.
Enenche, who delivered a sermon titled “The Blessing of Praise” asked the congregants to praise God for some minutes to appreciate God for the reopening of churches.
He said the expectations of the devil concerning the church in Nigeria and concerning the church worldwide shall continue to fail.
In Osun State, South West Nigeria, many churches in Osun State, South West Nigeria, opened for services though they witnessed a low turnout
The Nation newspaper reported that members of the Living Faith Church (a.k.a. Winners Chapel) at Lagere, were seen washing and sanitising their hands before entering the church hall.
Some of the services witnessed a low turnout.
“In the first service today, we had about 543 worshippers and 479 in the second service. I believe it’s because aged people and children did not attend our services,” an official of the Living Faith Church, Osogbo, said.
The newspaper also reported that many churches in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria opened for services and adhered to PTF’s guidelines.
It said the Imo COVID-19 Task Force expressed satisfaction with level of compliance by some churches with the Coronavirus protocols in the state.
Its chairman, Maurice Iwu, spoke when he led his team to visit some churches in Owerri, the state capital, to ascertain level of compliance by worshippers to the coronavirus guidelines.
This, the task force said, included wearing of face masks, washing of hands and maintaining social distancing.