By Gabriel Dike, Lukman Olabiyi (Lagos), Lateef Dada (Osogbo) and Layi Olarenwaju (Ilorin)
The Supreme Court docket judgment on Friday, which authorized using hijab by pupils in Lagos State colleges, would definitely change the educational surroundings in many colleges throughout the nation.
The judgment has additionally despatched jitters down the spines of personal and Christian college house owners nationwide in regards to the implications of the ruling.
A significant concern in regards to the Supreme Court docket judgment, which is bothering colleges in different states is whether or not the ruling is relevant nationwide.
As schooling stakeholders come to phrases with the apex court docket’s ruling, church buildings and conventional worshippers might determine to encourage their wards to put on robes and conventional apparel to highschool, prefer it occurred in Osun State.
Some legal professionals and stakeholders have argued that, because the apex court docket within the land made the ruling, it may very well be utilized nationwide.
The Training Report sought the reactions of the Nationwide Mum or dad Instructor Affiliation of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Affiliation for Formidable Training Growth (AFED), Nationwide Affiliation of Proprietors of Personal Colleges (NAPPS), legal professionals and different stakeholders on the hijab judgment.
The massive query now could be: can Christian and conventional worshippers put on robes and conventional apparel to colleges?
Actually, some church buildings may encourage Christian college students to put on robes, whereas conventional worshippers are anticipated to adorn their very own apparel to the school rooms.
Many stakeholders are afraid that what performed out in Osun State, the place Christian college students and conventional worshippers went to their colleges in numerous church robes, ropes and conventional apparel, would occur in many colleges.
In Kwara State, it was a form of struggle in some colleges in Ilorin when the state authorities gave the nod for Muslim college students to put on hijab to Christian colleges.
The 2 teams battled one another for days, resulting in the disruption of the educational calendar and destruction of college property, till the state authorities rescinded the choice.
Additionally, the administration of Worldwide Faculty, Ibadan, College of Ibadan, despatched some Muslim college students who wore the hijab house. Mother and father of the affected college students stormed the college and disrupted educational actions for days. The college needed to be closed.
Legal professionals’ place
A authorized practitioner and human rights activist, Kabir Akingbolu, mentioned, “the judgment binds all authorities in Nigeria. It’s not allowed for any college to disallow college students from sporting hijab. I imagine it shouldn’t be a factor to be anxious about however, in all honesty, there is no such thing as a must implement it in Christian colleges to keep away from pointless rancour and breakdown of regulation and order.
“The choice of the Supreme Court docket is a welcome growth. Lagos State’s intervention within the hijab concern is an unwarranted agitation and exhibits undue state discrimination in opposition to ladies of the Islamic religion. The implication is that the state might even in the future ban Muslim civil servants from sporting hijab, which will likely be extremely discriminatory.”
In his response, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kunle Adegoke, argued, “It’s clear that the supply of Part 42 of the Structure permits freedom of faith. It’s a part of this freedom to decorate in accordance with the dictates of 1’s faith, topic to needed moderation. Whereas European international locations to which Islam isn’t deep-rooted are allowing ladies to put on hijab, it’s stunning {that a} state in Nigeria is forbidding sporting of hijab.
“We should, subsequently, commend the Supreme Court docket on this landmark determination, which ensures extra spiritual freedom. Reasonably than losing taxpayer’s cash to pursue such an attraction to the Supreme Court docket, Lagos State authorities ought to have targeting tips on how to make good governance a dividend of democracy and make life extra plentiful for the individuals.
“The choice of the Supreme Court docket is relevant to different states. Any authorities that bans hijab in any side of public life is performing opposite to the precept of regulation as laid down by the Supreme Court docket. That suggests that such state authorities has no regard for rule of regulation and has no enterprise claiming consultant democracy.”
Lagos Ministry of Training
The Lagos State Ministry of Training mentioned it couldn’t touch upon the Supreme Court docket judgment.
Public relations officer of the ministry, Mr. Gani Lawal, mentioned, “The ministry of schooling is awaiting authorized recommendation from the Ministry of Justice.”
Stakeholders react to judgment
Training stakeholders expressed combined reactions in regards to the judgment. Whereas the Nationwide Affiliation of Proprietors of Personal Colleges mentioned the events concerned within the litigation ought to respect the choice, the deputy nationwide president, Nationwide Mum or dad-Instructor Affiliation of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, famous that the apex court docket’s ruling additionally impacts personal colleges within the state.
His phrases: “The judgment applies to private and non-private colleges. Faculty house owners can’t ship any pupil out for sporting hijab. It’s unlucky however I name for rules whether or not college students would placed on quarter, half or full Hijab.
“I hope we’re not seeing a repeat of the Osun State situation. It additionally means Christian college students can put on robe and conventional worshippers can placed on their conventional apparel to highschool.”
President of AFED, Mr. Orji Emmanuel, mentioned the Federal Authorities was dabbling into what it was not presupposed to do. Faculty uniforms, he harassed, have been the appropriate put on for college kids.
He warned: “If any scholar desires to put on hijab, let her or him go to Muslim colleges. We should study to maintain faith out of our colleges. In class, uniform is the prescribed mode of dressing.”
Nevertheless, the president of NAPPS, Chief Yomi Otubela, mentioned, “Supreme Court docket is the best court docket in Nigeria and so we really feel that its determination must be revered by the events concerned within the litigation.
“As well as, since Nigeria is a secular state, NAPPS believes in spiritual tolerance and feels people ought to be capable of admire religious values, beliefs and practices which are totally different from their very own.
“Religion-based colleges ought to be capable of run their colleges in accordance with their spiritual beliefs.”
Reacting to the ruling, the Muslim College students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) described the judgment of the Supreme Court docket validating using hijab as a part of the constitutional rights of feminine Muslim college students as a victory for the rule of regulation and victory for the oppressed in opposition to the oppressors.
The Ameer, ‘B’ zone of the MSSN, Bar Qaazim Odedeji, who was a part of the authorized staff, mentioned, “I wish to use this chance to name on public officers, college directors and employers of labour to respect the rights of Muslim ladies and defend identical in opposition to any for discrimination.”
On his half, the Osun State director of media, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Bishop Seun Adeoye, mentioned the Christian group would abide by the choice of the apex court docket on using hijab in public colleges, saying, “If it’s the proper of our Muslim ladies to put on hijab in public colleges, Christian ladies who additionally want robes indicating their faith must be permitted this proper.”
In Ilorin, the chairman of the Muslim Stakeholders, Alhaji Is-haq Abdulkarim, mentioned the ruling affirmed the place of the Muslims that hijab was a elementary human proper.
He warned that if harassment, bullying and persecution of Muslim college students in colleges or different colleges anyplace within the state continued, the Muslims wouldn’t have any different than to safe their rights in the most effective method they perceive as the faculties are public colleges as pronounced by two superior courts of file.
Abdulkarim, a chartered accountant, mentioned the Supreme Court docket judgment impact all states within the nation; Kwara State Authorities should subsequently implement freedom of worship together with re-erecting demolished Mosque in Bishop Smith Memorial School Ilorin by some hoodlums parading themselves as brokers of some individuals.
He concluded by calling on Kwara State Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN) to cease selling spiritual crises within the state via the general public colleges, including “the state is a ‘state of concord’ which believes within the rule of regulation, including the 2 judgments delivered by two superior courts of file on possession of colleges which have been in favour of Kwara State Authorities have been declaratory judgments that should not have its implementation delayed no matter.”
The Christian Affiliation of Nigerian (CAN) PRO, Rev. Shina Ibiyemi whereas reacting mentioned: “The Supreme Court docket judgment delivered to permit Muslim ladies put on hijab in Lagos state colleges. As lawyer, at the beginning I’ve not laid my arms on the total judgment of the apex court docket. However from what I learn on the social media, nonetheless that case began with a kind of elementary human rights and the state authorities challenged it and that individual case, it was the Lagos authorities that went on attraction to the apex court docket.
However in our case in Kwara State, it’s a totally different matter altogether.”
“The problem of hijab was imported by some components. Hijab concern was not taken to court docket. What was taken to court docket was the difficulty of administration by the church of the faculties they established and authorities grant aided and never hijab. Hijab was smuggled into it to make it look someway.
“I as an Particular person would not have any concern with hijab. I’ve many associates who use hijab and we’re nonetheless associates. I even have staffers that use hijab and no downside about it.
“It’s a matter of understanding and tolerance, which has been happening for a very long time. It’s not the difficulty of hijab however the imply concern Christians in Kwara State have is try by some components to take over the heritage of our forefathers and alter it for their very own use.
“Opposite to the hypothesis or incorrect place some individuals in all probability have been saying that the land we constructed the faculties and church’s was given to us freely was incorrect. The land was paid for and the Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) was obtained. So it’s completely totally different from what the Lagos state authorities appealed to Supreme Court docket and was dismissed.”
