Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has received report on Oyun Baptist school on hijab crisis.
Governor AbdulRahman said that he will convoke inter-faith dialogue that would strengthen peace, tolerance and understanding among adherents of different faiths in order to strengthen religious unity in the state.
Governor AbdulRazaq who said this when he received the report of the panel of inquiry on the Hijab question at the public-funded Oyun Baptist School, Ijagbo also assured the stakeholders that he would do what is right and that he’s in a hurry to reopen the school.
Chairman of the panel Dr Shehu Omoniyi Ibrahim flanked by the co-chairman of the panel and Secretary-General of Ijagbo Descendants Progressive Union, Mr Emmanuel Adebayo Fatola were at the Presidential Lodge Ilorin on Thursday to submit the report to the governor.
“As you have recommended, we will definitely commence interfaith dialogue while the government looks quickly into the report.
” From what you have said before we read the report, it is obvious you have done a thorough job.
“We thank you very much. You have done good work. It’s not an easy job. We do understand the sensitivity of the issues and we ensure to do what is right.”
AbdulRazaq said when he received the panel report.
The governor also assured the people of the state that the government would soon reopen the school for academic activities in a peaceful atmosphere.
“We have been eagerly awaiting the report. The government is in a hurry to reopen the school but we also want to make sure there’s peace within the community before that is done,” he stressed.
Ibrahim, for his part, called on the government to institute a periodic interfaith dialogue or bi-annual interfaith convention to promote religious harmony in the state.
He expressed concern that despite various interventions, the Hijab issue had remained an unresolved crisis by the past administrations in the state.
He said,”We thank you sincerely for finding us worthy to handle this assignment. We strongly hope that this report will be a roadmap to peaceful coexistence in our public schools, not only on Hijab but on other conflicting inter-faith matters.
“We reviewed several reports of previous committees set up by the government on religious matters. We note with regret that the only point that could not be agreed upon is still the hijab issue.
” We scrutinised many past circulars, from Ministry of Education to the chairman of SUBEB, on Hijab matters. We also noted that the issue of Hijab had been promoted to public discussion since 2007, and yet could not be resolved by previous governments.”
The panel recommended, among other things, a review of the policy on grant-aided schools to clarify grey areas; police investigation into the violence that claimed one life and prosecution of any culprits to avoid a repeat; official action on specific individuals indicted of negligence or collusion in the crisis; (government) payment of hospital bills of those injured; and appeasement of the family that lost their son.
The panel also held that the government’s policy allowing any female Muslim child to wear her hijaab in all categories of public schools is in order and should stand except the Supreme Court later holds otherwise.
It added that government should restrict religious activities in public schools to those officially conducted by either the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) or Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), while disallowing clerics or individuals from outside the schools from conducting such activities in public schools, among other recommendations
Other members of the panel were Pastor Modupe Agboola; Kwara State Chairperson of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr. Saudat AbdulBaki; Special Assistant to the Governor on Religion (Islam) Alhaji Ibrahim Zubair Danmaigoro; Special Assistant to the Governor on Religion (Christianity) Reverend Timothy Akangbe; and a director in the Ministry of Justice, Ishola Olofere (Secretary).
