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The Muslim Stakeholders of Kwara State commends the Kwara State Government for approving the use of hijab in all public schools in Kwara State.
The decision of the State Government is in consonance with the provision of the Nigerian Constitution, the National Policy on Education and Kwara State Education Edict which must be complied with under all circumstances.
In this regard, no individual or group therefore has any right to deny any student or a group of students the right they have fundamentally of which hijab for Muslim females is part of them as it is the injunction as contained in the Holy Qur’an.
On ownership of Schools, Muslims in Kwara State urge the Kwara State Government to stand by the ‘rule of law’. Happily, the Kwara CAN which engaged the Kwara State Government of legal battle on issue since 2013, lost its two cases both in Ilorin High Court in 2016 and Court of Appeal in 2019. The stance of the State Government (even the immediate past Administration in the State) has been that Schools handed over to it over 45 years ago by Communities, Individuals, Christian and Muslim Missionary Bodies have been under it and cannot be returned based on provisions of the laws. The position has been vindicated by Courts of Law.
In this circumstance, anybody no matter his or her position in the Society that challenges this position taken by Kwara State Government on this matter is an enemy of this State as we not in a ‘ jungle’ but in a Society governed by Laws.
Whoever takes exception to ruling or any judgement of the Court of Law, they surely know what is next. If they therefore abandon that peaceful and lawful process and rely on Press and Christian propaganda, they are just wasting their time.
On this basis therefore, we condemn the Communique credited to Kwara State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) purportedly issued on 26th February, 2021 in which it claimed to have rejected the decision of the Kwara State Government.
The Communique also threatened the State Government and attempted to intimidate the constituted authorities by the inciting Statement, inspite of the overwhelming evidence that Kwara CAN and it’s collaborators have lost all their cases in the Court of Law.
As CAN Kwara continue to ‘fight a lost battle’, we invite the attention of all Security Agencies in Kwara State to the inciting Public Statement in the Communique under reference in which Kwara CAN that had already been described as ‘Medulous Interlopers’ by Court of Appeal – calling on ‘All christians to occupy all their grant-aided Schools when the Schools are Re-opened’.
This is not only an incitement but an invitation to chaos by some people claiming to be religious leaders! It is not only contemptuous but criminal as there has been a substiting judgements on which Kwara State Government is standing-on.
We are therefore assuring the trouble-makers who issued the reckless irresponsible and threatening Communique that Muslims in Kwara State are ready to ‘meet force-force’ with them; as permission is given to true-believers that if inspite of your maintenance of peace, concord and harmony; non-unbelievers attempt to wage war on you, you must stand to protect ourselves’. WE ARE BATTLE READY TO FACE THEM.
Afterall the land on which they build their schools were given by our forefathers without taking a dime from them, simply because they claimed the Schools would be for all. Now, that we are being discriminated against on the basis of our religious practice, no responsible Government would allow such in Schools run and funded with tax-payers money!
It should be noted that most of those fanning embers of religious hatred, extremism and religious intolerance again st muslims through the Schools System are not Kwarans; and those who have private Schools among them do not deny our children wearing hijab! Why do they use public schools to forment trouble?
The Muslim Stakeholders in Kwara believes that the stance of Kwara CAN is a violation of the Constitution and can never stand the test of time.
We commend the entire Muslim Community in Kwara State for maintaining peace and stability in the State inspite of provocative, abusive and insulting comments being made by some unculltured and immature people parading themselves as religious leaders in Christian faith.
Finally, we warn Principals, Vice-Principals and Teachers of the affected Schools to note that as Public Servants, they must be loyal to their Employers which is KWSG. Whoever values his or her religious fanaticism and sentiments than the job for which he or she is employed and paid, does that on his own peril.
Prof. Ibrahim Abikan
Secretary.
Alh. Is-haq Abdulkarim,
Chairman.
