Good morning, Mr President. I address an important state matter: closure of schools in Bauchi, Kano, Katsina and Kebbi over the Ramadan fast. The motor force of history is contradiction that is central to dialectics. Contradictions that are not handled well can lead to the birth of monsters. Sections of the leadership in Northern Nigeria use religion as a destabilisation instrument and in its dynamics, stifled development while simultaneously breeding incestuous leadership where the seeds of their loins succeed to power, free-riding the scarce resources meant for the development of their people.

The closure of schools for the Ramadan fast by four northern states, namely, Bauchi, Kano, Katsina and Kebbi underlines the introductory point made above. The three states in closing the schools noted that the closure would allow students, teachers and other stakeholders to observe the holy month. This irrational act which impinged on the liberty of the individual has been rationalised by both moral, cultural and constitutional reasons.

The moral is religious and calls for total devotion to the worship of God; the cultural, which is narcissistic, is that such a religious holiday is cultural to a section of the country and referencing the fact that it was disrupted by colonial intrusion, a dead-end argument that bears on Peter Eke’s argument of the episodic or epochal nature of colonialism; the constitutional argument is hinged on the federal rationality to the extent it is the right of the state governments which have closed institutions of learning to do since education is on the concurrent legislative list.

The third category of arguments to support the actions of the ‘holy governors’ neglects to mention Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution as amended which expressly states: “the Government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion”. This underscores the secularity of the Nigerian state. No one can impose his/her religion on the country. Similarly, Section 38 (1) of the same under Chapter Four, Fundamental Human Rights provisions states “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or in private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance”.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN)’s statement is quite apt in this connection. It states: “As we emphasised in our Pastoral Letter, ‘The Church and the Nigerian State’ (2012), “The Nigerian state is secular, and this secularity is not a mere declaration; it is a fundamental principle that must guide all aspects of our national life”.

Mr President, the action of the governors of Bauchi, Kano, Katsina and Kebbi is a clear violation of the secularity of the Nigerian state; it is wrongheaded just as sharia was wrongheaded, it violates the rights of the students and other religions in the affected states. It should be known that these states are not religiously homogenous and are also ethnically diverse. Mr President, if I may ask: Why steer the hornets’ nest? Is there a political subtext to this? Is this all about the math of 2027?

It is well that groups and well-meaning Nigerians have spoken out. Those who have ventilated their views on this matter have all underlined the counterproductive nature of the illegal, narcissistic and diversionary action of the governors. Four basic points have stood out. The action would upset the preparation of students for examination.

The Association of Christian Private Schools pointed to the fact that the five-week closure affects the preparations of students for external examinations of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), National Examination Council (NECO) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) as the syllabuses would not be covered. This was further corroborated by the National President of the Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (PTAN), Alhaji Haruna Danjuma who could not “imagine, let alone understand, what could have led the governors of these four states to make such a decision, especially at this crucial time when SS3 students are preparing for four major public examinations: the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB; the Senior School Certificate Examination, SSCE, conducted by WAEC and NECO; and the examination conducted by NABTEB.”

Two, it has brutally assaulted the constitutional rights of the citizens. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has adverted to this when it called for inclusivity to ensure that students’ constitutional rights to education and freedom of conscience were not blatantly violated as it also noted the imperative of fairness and national cohesion were of critical importance.

Thirdly, it would aggravate the educational backwardness of the states with unenviable high records of out-of-school children. CAN also alludes to this in its statement on the situation. As it puts it, “The closure of schools across these northern states, ranging from nursery to tertiary levels, for an extended period will disrupt academic schedules, and threaten the educational advancement of millions of students…“These states are already facing alarming rates of out-of-school children, averaging 44 per cent according to recent data, far exceeding the national average…“Such prolonged breaks risk deepening this crisis, undermining efforts to ensure access to quality education for all.

International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR) further paints a gloomy picture. It noted that the country’s education system faces an alarming crisis, with 10.2 million children of primary school age, another 8.1 million of junior secondary school age out of school, and 74 per cent of children aged 7–14 lacking basic reading and Math skills. Ironically the states that have shut down schools ostensibly to enable students to observe the Ramadan fast are some of the worst hit. The National Mass Education Programme Initiative (NMPI) shows that the number of out-of-school children stands at 1.89 million in Kano, 1.4 million in Katsina, 1.37 million in Bauchi, and 1.06 million in Kebbi. This puts Kano at the top of the ranking with Katsina 2nd, Bauchi 3rd, and Kebbi 6th. As CBCN has rightly observed the decision would only “exacerbate this crisis and undermine efforts to improve education outcomes in the region.” Unfortunately, the Supreme Council for Shari’a in Nigeria (SCSN) endorsed this backward action of the quartet.

Above all, it would breed alienation of the non-Muslim students in ways that would affect harmonious social relations. Indeed, some stakeholders have said that the enforcement of the proposed Ramadan break has the potential to damage the peaceful coexistence between Christian and Muslim students mentally and may have been averted if the closure were made optional.  

Mr President, one is forced to imagine that the Islamic Pharisees should have shut down the entire government bureaucracy to achieve their religious piety. The way the uninformed section of the leadership in the north is going, i.e. taking the unity of this country for granted and as a place for the imposition of its preferences is reckless. It would wake up one day and discover it has no place to call its own. The most painful aspect of the instrumentalisation of religion for political goals is that the leadership has by dint of this act undermined the well-being of Nigerians not only from its section of the country but Nigerians in general.
Odion-Akhaine is Professor in the Department of Political Sscience, Lagos State University.