A dangerous ill-wind is blowing in Osun State and unless corrective action is taken very quickly, the situation may degenerate to anarchy.  A state High Court, in a judgment delivered on June 3 by Justice Jide Falola, directed that Muslim female students are free to wear the hijab to school as part of their fundamental human rights. In reaction, the Osun State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said Christian students should also be free to wear Christian vestments and robes to school.

The drama played out fully on Tuesday, June 14, when students of Baptist High School, Iwo, Osun State, in deference to their religious leaders, turned up in school in all kinds of religious apparels – hijabs, soutanes, choir robes and the like. It was an ugly sight to behold. The biggest tragedy is that while all of these religious shenanigans are playing out, the government and people of Osun State will be distracted from the real issues of the day.

We warn those fanning the embers of religious disharmony in Osun to desist from it. This state has, in recent years, been enmeshed in one religious controversy or the other, and we are afraid that it is risking a conflagration. Nigeria is a secular state. Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) expressly states that no federal or state government should adopt any religion as state religion. So, why are our politicians always minded to play the religious card?

The answer is simple. When political actors bring divisive and combustible issues like religion, ethnicity and the rest into play, they keep the people permanently divided and their eyes are taken off from the real issues of governance that affect their daily living.

What is the purpose of education, if not to open up the minds of those who receive it? Education, especially in public schools, is supposed to be a leveler of all. Pupils turn out in common school uniforms, train under common curricula and generally share pre-determined and common experiences, all geared towards building an egalitarian and free society.

Sadly, what is happening in Osun State today is a negation of these universally accepted goals of public education. We call on the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to effect an urgent reversal of this ugly trend. Instead of the CAN in Osun State calling out Christian students in a show of power and number, we urge it to appeal the controversial judgment of the Osun High Court to ensure its reversal.

It is even more disheartening to observe that the seed of religious disharmony is being sown so early in the lives of these young and impressionable students. Their crime, apparently, is that they have   enrolled in public schools. This is very sad and totally unacceptable.

Public schools funded by taxpayers cannot afford to show any religious bias or affiliation of any kind. How do we know if the taxpayer is a Christian, Muslim or even an Atheist, to begin with? Adherents of the two major religions – Islam and Christianity – have often carried on as if they are the only ones in town. That is a misconception and blatant discrimination which successive governments have lent credence to for obvious selfish reasons. This practice must stop forthwith.

In the Osun case, we urge the state government to restrain itself from allowing religion to creep into the public school system and the polity in general. The state authorities have a   responsibility to appeal this contentious judgment in the interest of the education system in the state and the larger society.

Other states in the federation which are thinking along similar divisive religious line or already toying with it, are advised to steer clear of religion and distance it from the public space. Religion is such a potentially divisive matter and it is the reason all sensible governments the world over, keep religion away from governance. It is worse when it is allowed to interfere in the public school system and especially among young and impressionable schoolchildren in their formative years. The damage can be colossal and regrettable. Aregbesola should save Osun State from avoidable sectarian crisis

done through the  issuance of threats alone.

Related News

Averting anarchy in Osun schools

A dangerous ill-wind is blowing in Osun State and unless corrective action is taken very quickly, the situation may degenerate to anarchy.  A state High Court, in a judgment delivered on June 3 by Justice Jide Falola, directed that Muslim female students are free to wear the hijab to school as part of their fundamental human rights. In reaction, the Osun State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) said Christian students should also be free to wear Christian vestments and robes to school.

The drama played out fully on Tuesday, June 14, when students of Baptist High School, Iwo, Osun State, in deference to their religious leaders, turned up in school in all kinds of religious apparels – hijabs, sotans,   sultanas, choir robes and the like. It was an ugly sight to behold. The biggest tragedy is that while all of these religious shenanigans are playing out, the government and people of Osun State will be distracted from the real issues of the day.

We warn those fanning the embers of religious disharmony in Osun to desist from it. This state has, in recent years, been enmeshed in one religious controversy or the other, and we are afraid that it is risking a conflagration. Nigeria is a secular state. Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) expressly states that no federal or state government should adopt any religion as state religion. So, why are our politicians always minded to play the religious card?

The answer is simple. When political actors bring divisive and combustible issues like religion, ethnicity and the rest into play, they keep the people permanently divided and their eyes are taken off from the real issues of governance that affect their daily living.

What is the purpose of education, if not to open up the minds of those who receive it? Education, especially in public schools, is supposed to be a leveler of all. Pupils turn out in common school uniforms, train under common curricula and generally share pre-determined and common experiences, all geared towards building an egalitarian and free society.

Sadly, what is happening in Osun State today is a negation of these universally accepted goals of public education. We call on the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to effect an urgent reversal of this ugly trend. Instead of the CAN in Osun State calling out Christian students in a show of power and number, we urge it to appeal the controversial judgment of the Osun High Court to ensure its reversal.

It is even more disheartening to observe that the seed of religious disharmony is being sown so early in the lives of these young and impressionable students. Their crime, apparently, is that they have   enrolled in public schools. This is very sad and totally unacceptable.

Public schools funded by taxpayers cannot afford to show any religious bias or affiliation of any kind. How do we know if the taxpayer is a Christian, Muslim or even an Atheist, to begin with? Adherents of the two major religions – Islam and Christianity – have often carried on as if they are the only ones in town. That is a misconception and blatant discrimination which successive governments have lent credence to for obvious selfish reasons. This practice must stop forthwith.

In the Osun case, we urge the state government to restrain itself from allowing religion to creep into the public school system and the polity in general. The state authorities have a   responsibility to appeal this contentions judgment in the interest of the education system in the state and the larger society.

Other states in the federation which are thinking along similar divisive religious line or already toying with it, are advised to steer clear of religion and distance it from the public space. Religion is such a potentially divisive matter and it is the reason all sensible governments the world over, keep religion away from governance. It is worse when it is allowed to interfere in the public school system and especially among young and impressionable schoolchildren in their formative years. The damage can be colossal and regrettable. Aregbesola should save Osun State from avoidable sectarian crisis