Dangerous Signals From Osun State

By Onuoha Ukeh

On Monday, when secondary school students of Osun State attended school in church apparels, with some donning white garments and others wearing hijabs as well as cassocks, I remembered Williams B. Yeats’ poem: The Second Coming. In a verse in the epic poem, the poet wrote: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre/The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”

Gov Aregbesola of Osun State 

Yeats may not have been talking about Osun State in the poem, but his literary work holds true for the state, where a near sectarian strife is looming over school uniform, amid leadership failure. Indeed, in Osun, it seems the falcon is not hearing the falconer. Things are falling apart in the state and the centre appears not holding. And since a stage has been set for students to wear what they like to school, “mere anarchy” is loosed upon Osun State.

The signals from Osun State are not pleasant, indeed. To say the least, they are not only frightening but also dangerous. A situation where Christians and Muslims are pitted against one another, in a country that is supposed to be secular, there is certainly something to worry about. Surprisingly, the state government seems to be playing to the gallery.

Yes, an Osogbo High Court in Osun State  last week ruled that female Muslim students were entitled to wear hijabs to school if they so wished. Delivering judgment in a suit brought by the Muslim community in Osun, since February 2013, Justice Jide Falola held that any act of harassment, molestation, humiliation and torture against female Muslim students using hijabs constitutes a clear infringement on their fundamental rights. The judge had cited Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) as basis of the judgment. Section 38 (1) states “Every person shall be entitled to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, including freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom (either alone or in community with others, and in public or private) to manifest and propagate his religion or belief in worship, teaching, practice and observance.”
Section 38 (2) also states: “No person attending any place of education shall be required to receive instruction or to take part in or attend any religious ceremony or observance if such instruction, ceremony or observance relates to a religion other than his own, or a religion not approved by his parents or guardian.”

For the avoidance of doubt, the Muslim community in Osun had approached the court, seeking an order to allow female Muslim students use veils (hijabs) in public schools. The suit instituted against the state government, also had the state Commissioner for Education, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice as defendants. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), its chairman and others had joined the case as respondents.