The Anambra State government, through the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, has warned churches located near schools against distracting and disturbing academic activities with excessive noise.

Chuma-Udeh gave this warning on Wednesday while expressing displeasure over a reported case of noise pollution said to be disrupting academic activities in a private school in Onitsha, the commercial city of the state.

While responding to a petition submitted to her office by the Proprietress of the school, Lady Ngozi Udeh, against Divine Dominion Prophetic Ministry, Onitsha, located directly opposite the school premises.

According to the petition, the church, which constructed its auditorium in 2024, has recently intensified its activities, generating excessive noise, particularly on Tuesdays, when services are said to run from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

The petitioner said the noise has consistently distracted students and teachers, severely disrupting teaching and learning during official school hours, adding that despite several verbal appeals to the church leadership, the situation has remained the same.

The petition read, “The noise has consistently distracted students and teachers, severely disrupting teaching and learning during official school hours.

“Despite several verbal appeals to the church leadership, the situation has not improved.”

But the commissioner, while addressing the parties in her office, noted that the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, would not condone any act that infringes on the constitutional right of students to learn in a peaceful and conducive environment.

She said, “Noise pollution is an offence under Nigerian law and is punishable once established.

“This is a call on religious institutions to ensure that noise generated from their premises was properly contained, especially when schools are located within hearing distance.”

While noting that the school in question existed long before the church moved into the area, Chuma-Udeh urged the church to explore peaceful ways of co-existing with the school, describing peaceful coexistence as the true value of Christianity.

She directed the church to reschedule their weekday activities to commence from 4:00 pm, after school hours, warning that failure to comply with the directive would compel the Ministry to involve the Ministry of Environment, with all attendant legal consequences.

“While churches may hold activities from morning till evening on Saturdays and Sundays, external examinations such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB must take precedence, even on Saturdays,” she added.

Responding, the Assistant Pastor of Divine Dominion Prophetic Ministry, Emmanuel Ukpabi, pledged that the church would seek ways to work harmoniously with the school to ensure mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

PUNCH Online in June 2025 reported that the Anambra State Governor issued a stern warning to roadside preachers using loudspeakers in public spaces, particularly markets, accusing them of causing noise pollution and disturbing residents. Soludo stated that anyone caught violating the noise pollution order would face a ₦500,000 fine. (PUNCH)

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