The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN has threatened to direct Christian pupils to wear choir robes and other church garments to public schools in Osun State should the state government implements the court judgment on hijab.
Justice Jide Oyelola had last Friday ruled that Muslim female pupils in all public schools should be allowed to wear hijab to schools without any harassment or molestation.
But CAN, in a communique issued at the end of its meeting and signed by its Osun State Chairman, Revd. Elisha Ogundiya, said the association would ask Christian pupils to wear garments associated with church activities to schools if Governor Rauf Aregbesola decided to implement the court verdict.
The CAN also said it suspected that Aregbesola ‘masterminded’ the judgement as part of his efforts to Islamise the state but the Christian body vowed not to allow this to happen.
The CAN, which rejected the judgment, stated that the judge made an ancillary order which was not based on any submission or prayer canvassed before the court when he ruled that hijab the pupils should be using must be the colour and design already approved by the state government.
The communique read,
“Where the Osun State Government is inclined to implementing the judgment, Christian students in all public schools founded by Christians with the toil and sweat of our forefathers in the faith will have no choice but to start wearing Christian garments and vestments as part of their school uniform for the propagation of our own faith given the Justice Saka Oyejide Falola declared right of Muslim female students to do same as what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander as well. Adherents of other faith who have their choice to make in this matter can wear theirs as well.”
However, one of the Muslim leaders in the state, who is also the lead counsel for the Muslim Community in Osun State, Mr. Kazeem Odedeji, when contacted asked Christians not to bring emotion to the issue.
Odedeji said the Muslims did not take the laws to their own hands when their children were denied the rights to wear hijab. He said they approached the court and waited for three and a half years before the court ruled in their favour.
Calls placed across to the telephone line of the media aide to the governor, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, were not answered and the response to the text sent to his telephone and email inquiry was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.