Osun and the politics of hijab

I have followed the unfolding but unfortunate drama in State of Osun schools over the rulings of a Court on the right of school children to wear the hijab as prescribed by the Holy book with amusement but recently, I have begun to feel alarmed because the issue is seriously being politicised. It thus may become poisonous to the people and government of the State. It is therefore important that responsible stakeholders in the affairs of the state ought to lend their voice to shed light on the pervading darkness and remove the toxins that may hold the state captive.

The issues are still very clear but like most things we do in Nigeria, we take it out of context, politicise it and complicate it in order to score some very cheap point. Most of the time, we are not mindful of the danger we may be putting our nation into as a result of such self-driven agenda. A group of students was resisted by a school authority from wearing hijab to school and as a people who are sticklers for the supremacy of the law, they approached the courts for redress over the perceived trampling by the authorities on their natural rights.

The Courts in their wisdom against the position of the government as represented by the school authority recognised the rights of these children and went ahead to rule that they have the fundamental right to wear the hijab to classes being part of their education as growing children. This was really against the wishes of the government at this particular point in time as adequately represented by state authorities at that level of governance.

Now this was the situation. The government of the state especially the executive arm did not make that ruling neither did it impose the hijab on the schools. The Courts did. Whether right or wrong, I had expected the blame to go to the Courts but in this case, some mischief makers are leading an outcry against the Governor who I believe never had any hand in such matters.

What has happened in this case is that the governor with his eyes on the rule of law and in keeping with his avowals to protect the constitution to govern without fear or favour has allowed himself to be led by the pronouncement of the courts. I do not understand whether some of the opponents of the governor would want the Governor to disobey judicial pronouncements or resort to dictatorship so as to satisfy their own desires and expectations?

It should be noted that while the hijab is an everyday compulsory wear for the girl child, other religious garbs such as the choir gowns, the Nunnery dresses are for special occasions especially when the students in the schools are not Nuns. Common sense and good reason requires that we allow the hijab-demanding students to wear it while the other faiths who never made such demands should have kept their peace. Or, are we saying that the schools are conducting choir presentations on daily basis that would warrant the wearing of such choir gowns to school?

What we have here is that some individuals seeking to score cheap political point and create some advantage for themselves have decided to persuade otherwise good and peaceful people of other faiths to create confusion so as to give the impression of disenchantment amongst the people against the government. It also had the intention of portraying the state government as religiously biased and insensitive in favour of one faith which is completely far from the truth.

The governor does not in any way hold any grudge against any religion. He is a liberal who is committed to allowing every citizen to freely express his or her religious beliefs without let or hindrance. Perhaps, that may have been his perceived sin – the avowal to ensure that all citizens are free to hold and practise their religion in the state.

It has become therefore important that those stoking the fire of confusion in Osun schools should be told to sheathe their swords. The future of the children of Osun State should not be turned into platforms for the negotiation of political power. They should not be made pawns on the political chessboard of Nigerian politicians especially those in the State of Osun. It will not only be morally abhorrent but will also amount to committing infanticide. Allowing this to continue will definitely destroy the future of the state’s children.

Paradoxically, majority of those fighting this war do not have their children studying in the State of Osun let alone studying in its public schools. That explains why they do not give a hoot about the consequences of their actions in the lives of Osun children. Let the lives and future of the children in the state count and let the gladiators cease today for the sake of the children.

The governor cannot disobey the law and those who seek a different action from the governor must also avail themselves of the opportunities available in the Law to upturn the judgment. It is only when there is a contrary judgment and the governor behaves otherwise that we can then accuse the governor of wrong-doing.
• Honourable Olumuyiwa Wahab Jimoh is the Deputy Majority Leader in the Lagos State House of Assembly Representing Apapa Constituency II