The Araba Agbaye, Chief Owolabi Aworeni, has warned the House of Assembly and the Kwara State Governor, Abdualrahman Abdulrazaq, against institutionalising use of hijab in schools saying its use in Christian schools may incite violence in the country.
Aworeni said the House of Representatives should halt the bill seeking to institutionalise the use of hijab in the country, noting that the move has a dangerous consequence.
Note that the drive to introduce the wearing of hijab has spurred heated reactions in Kwara State with Christian mission schools shut down in resistance against the move by the state government.
The Araba, represented by his deputy, the Araba Oluisese of Ibadan, Ifalere Odegbola, in an interview with journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Tuesday, said, “We are appealing to the Governor of Kwara State, to caution against steps that are capable of turning Kwara State and the entire country into crisis.
“Peace would reign supreme if religions generally are given pride of place. Let the Christian schools be, same for Muslim schools and schools for the traditional worshippers without any religion lording it over the other.
“A traditional worshipper who decides to attend Christian school should imbibe the Christian practices and principles and ditto for a Christian child who chooses to attend a Muslim school. If he willfully decides to attend the school, he has to abide by the practices.
“It is wrong for a child who belongs to another faith to want to force his way through. The governor should desist from acts that can incite violence or civil disorderliness. Academics should not continue to get interrupted as we have it at the moment.
“Peace is priceless. We should continue to value and work towards peace in the society. If we live in harmony.
“In the same vein, we are appealing to the National Assembly to drop the issue of use of hijab; we are warning that religious intolerance should not be allowed to polarize us as a people. Nigeria as a secular nation should be receptive to all religions and people should be free to practice their own faith without any interference.
“Politics and religion should be treated separately. Those in positions of authority should make security their priority rather than toying with the volatile issue of religious intolerance. They should work towards addressing issues of banditry, kidnapping and destruction of farmlands that beset the land.”
