Hijab: A Nation Fooled By Failed Leadership

BY SIMON REEF MUSA

Recently, flames of religious passion almost got the better of us as the hijab maelstrom threatened the peaceful atmosphere in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital over a matter that should not have attracted any attention.  The Ilorin incident reminds many of the initial uproar caused by a lady who was barred from attending the call-to-bar ceremony in Abuja for wearing hijab.

In an unprecedented decision, the Supreme Court of Nigeria had resolved that it was the fundamental right of the lady to wear hijab. She would later attend the ceremony one year after she was barred. One thing is certain that what the ordinary citizen thinks is not in sync with the reality.  \With the verdict by the apex court, one would have thought extremists from various religions should be well informed on hijab as an issue of fundamental human rights.

However, that has not been. The Ilorin hijab controversy which had attracted stone-throwing session between adherents of the two religions in Nigeria led to the pulling down of a church’s fence, sending grim signals that the demons of religious bigotry are still alive and could spark off yet another round of tragic encounters for the annihilation of citizens.

Without any form of prevarication, there seems to be deliberate attempts at not only veiling the real issues trailing the issue under discourse, but both sides in the controversy seem to have embraced an option of not telling the entire truth.

One thing is clear, the verdict by the highest court in the land on the right by any Nigerian to wear hijab has been declared as the right of all citizens as contained in Section 38 of the Constitution. This verdict has also recognised the rights of citizens in a public organisation that upholds the secularity of our nation.

I have perused through the position of the Kwara State government through a press release issued by spokesman of the governor. The school in question, the governor’s media handle noted, is a public school that was taken over by the Kwara State Government. Of course, before the takeover, certain conditions were spelt out by both sides on the deal.

As a public school, the government was expected to recruit teachers and also pay salaries, including supervision of academic activities. In agreeing to these conditions, owners of the school had surrendered to the government’s ownership of schools in the eradication of peculiar traits to welcome all adherents of all religions, including atheists.

It is difficult to ascertain where the pendulum swings on the takeover of schools founded by missionaries in most parts of the country. While some churches have continued to drum up the need for these schools to be returned to them, the absence of synergies among   owners to reclaim their schools have remained a mirage and a forlorn dream.

For as long as the government continues to pay and recruit teachers for such schools, so long will governments’ dominance and control continue unimpeded without any form of let or hindrance. Resolving these issues cannot be realised through stone-throwing sessions; what is needed is deploying necessary legislation through political representatives to salvage the situation.

In a democracy, the legislative process in defeating injustice is more important than raucous shouting among feuding groups that often culminate in nothing but a wild wind that blows no good to anyone. Agreeing to a final resolution in the hijab brouhaha, as shown in the Kwara State instance, cannot be reached through throwing of stones and pulling down fences of churches in displaying public angst.

Resolving the problem is only feasible through a deliberate vision of unearthing issues that have been swept under the carpet for public scrutiny. Anything short of that cannot serve the interest of the public. Trailing public discourse on the matter that has led to the closure of 10 schools in Kwara state, the state government declared that these schools, even though founded by Christians, have been turned into public schools by the law.

I guess in the near future, some of the churches may likely head for the courts to challenge the takeover of these schools. If anything, those who were quick to surrender ownership of schools to the government are now increasingly becoming aware that the powers that be are surreptitiously turning these schools into weapons of disagreements with the founding vision of their founders.

There is no doubt that some of the religious groups that felt robbed of their schools are embittered and, if given an opportunity, will prefer a reversal of what they decided in the past. The law is devoid of sentiments and when feelings do not go with realities on ground, then, the Kwara incident is bound to happen. Without prevarications, what the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) should do now is to evolve means of challenging the seemingly wrongful decision and work towards returning these schools to their original owners. But, this can only be possible through the democratic process. That is the only means of staving off further crippling and rancorous disagreements over the Hijab discourse.

However, come to think of it, of all the myriad of challenges confronting our nation, why must our political leaders spend so much time on an issue that is as insignificant as Hijab? Not a few Nigerians were flabbergasted at the Hijab bill before the National Assembly that is aimed at widening and introducing an uncontrollable passion over the matter. Political representatives should note that they are elected not to inflame religious passion but make laws for the good governance of the country.

It is tragic that political leaders who have continued to steal us blind would readily appeal to our religious sentiments by appearing as defenders of our common faith. The electorate should be distrustful of politicians that have found a safety net in appealing to our religious emotions, rather than enlightening the electorate to reject failed political leaders at the polls.

What is most hurtful is the deployment of religious sentimentalities to confuse and deceive undiscerning minds. In the past years, our nation has come under unprovoked attacks as bandits continue to ravage and turn our communities into fields of death only experienced in a barbarian society. We need to contain these monsters of destruction that have found support in the silence of those too afraid to stand by the truth.

In the months and years ahead, the survival of our democracy will hinge on citizens’ collective resolve to develop our country, rather than pandering to the politics of disunity foisted upon us by a failed political leadership. What is ailing us as a people is not the controversy over hijab, but the deliberate act of mindless politicians using religion to excite our passion in order to keep us perpetually divided over things that matter to our survival.