Date: 2021-02-18

Muslim stakeholders comprising youths and women organizations Wednesday urged the Kwara state government to prevail on former owners of public schools to allow female Muslim students wear hijab.

The Muslim organizations argued that since the takeover of those schools by the state government, it behooves former missionary owners of the schools to hands off control of grant-aided schools in the state.

The Muslim stakeholders said that allowing Muslim female students to wear hijab will be in conformity with the judgment of the Kwara state High Court of 2016 and that of Court of Appeal of 2019.

They asked the state government to direct schools to allow Muslim female students to practice Islam in all ramifications, "i.e. observing prayers and use of hijab by female students".

Addressing reporters in Ilorin, Muslim stakeholders which included representatives of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Federated Organizations of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), and Concerned Parents/Teachers Associations, expressed surprise that some former owners of schools in Ilorin on Monday and Tuesday forcefully removed hijab from heads of female Muslim students.

They listed the schools where there are infringements on the freedom of religion of female Muslim students to include St. Anthony, St. James, Bishop Smith, St. Anthony and ECWA, all in Ilorin.

Led by Ustaz Isiaq Abdulkareem, the people said they promptly reported the infringement on the concerned Muslim students to the appropriate quarters.

They, however, lamented that at a peace meeting held in the office of Secretary to the state government on Tuesday, the former missionary school owners, insisted that they were not concerned about the judgements of the Kwara state High Court and Appeal Court.

"This is the time for the government and the people of the state need peace more than ever before. It should be seen as calling for trouble as failure to act may lead to people enforcing their rights in the best possible way.

"As a stakeholder in this government, I appeal to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq to take bold and urgent step in addressing this issue to avoid possible outbreak of crisis in the state," he said.