Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has called on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State to immediately withdraw his government’s approval of hijab in schools, especially those owned by the Christian mission, in the state.
The association vowed to use all lawful means to reverse the order if the government refused to withdraw the directive.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, General Secretary of CAN, Joseph Daramola, noted that some people took laws into their hands in the state by going from school to school to enforce the wearing of hijab in secondary schools, including the schools owned by missions but are only grant-aided by the government.
According to him, instead of the government cautioning such trouble-makers and tell them to wait for the court process to be concluded and judgment delivered, the government of Kwara showed its religious bias by the blanket approval of the wearing of the hijab, even in Christian mission schools.
Daramola said: “This action of the government of Kwara is not only discriminatory and divisive, but it equally suggests that the government was the one behind the earlier illegal enforcement of the wearing of hijab in Christian schools. While the government may give directives on its own schools, it ought to respect the ones it does not directly own and respect the religious cultures of such schools as well.
“This advice has become necessary because the association sees the action of the governor as prejudicial. It appears to be a contempt of court because the governor is aware of a pending court case on this matter over which the court had earlier ruled that the status quo should be maintained. Is the government now saying that he is above the law? What is going to spoil if we all wait for the court to pronounce judgment on the matter?”
Urging the political elite to stop using their religious overzealousness to cause division in the society, but treat all equally irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliation, he said: “If we would all do pilgrimage together, there must be fairness to all, mutual respect and justice. No political leader should use his or her position to further the cause of any particular religion or ethnic group, for peace to prevail.”
