Mr. Femi Gbajiabiamila, Speaker, House of Representatives.
The Christian Association of Nigeria has called on the leadership of the National Assembly to suspend a bill before the House of Representatives seeking to institutionalise the use of hijaab in the country.
In a statement by its General Secretary, Joseph Bade Daramola, CAN said the bill is ill-timed and uncalled for.
The bill titled ‘Religious Discrimination (Prohibition, Prevention) Bill, 2021’ seeks to provide a mechanism for enforcing certain provisions of the Constitution and other international laws that recognise the right of females to adorn hijaab in both public and private establishments in Nigeria.
The body said sponsors of the bill are all out to compound the security problems and issues currently surrounding the use of Hijab in public and Christian schools.
CAN also questions if the lawmakers should be more interested in making laws seeking to promote one religion when they ought to make laws that will address the insecurity issues and economic predicaments in the country.
The statement read, ‘According to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the ‘National Assembly shall have the power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Federation or any part thereof with respect to any matter included in the Exclusive Legislative List set out in Part 1 of the Second Schedule to this Constitution’.
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“To what extent does this controversial bill seek to promote peace, order and good governance? Has the dress code become part of the Exclusive Legislative List? While the citizens are expecting the National Assembly to make laws that will address the lopsided appointments, insecurity, unemployment and economic predicament, our lawmakers are interested in making laws that seek to promote one religion. This is unacceptable in a country with multiple religions.
“Candidly speaking, it is not the wearing of hijab that is our problem, it is the legislation of the wearing of it in private schools, especially of the schools whose proprietors have a different culture to that of wearing of the hijab. If anyone travels to Rome, it is common saying that he or she should do as the Romans do since he was not forced to come! If any Christian pupil goes to a Muslim School, he or she should abide by their practices there and vice versa.
“Why should a Muslim student come to a Christian school which operates under different dressing culture and insist on her own culture? That appears provocative and disrespectful! Legislating the wearing of hijab in private schools would lead to the trouble that those who started it may not be able to handle. Abandoning school uniform for religious dressing is going to divide the students along religious lines and further polarise our society. Should the children of Ifa worshippers (god of divination) wear Ifa costume to the school as well? Is that not going to bring confusion? Will the wearing of the religious dress make one student brighter in class than the other? What are we legislating for?
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“CAN has been consistently calling on some state governments that are enforcing the wearing of hijab in the public schools to exempt the Christian schools where hijab culture is alien. We are not against the wearing of hijab in public and Islamic schools but our schools should not be included unless those states are looking for trouble. We have resolved to close down our schools and colleges to protest against this ungodly and disrespectful policy.
“We should return to the status quo ante where we were before the politicisation of hijab. Let those who want to be wearing hijab go to schools where it is allowed. Alternatively, let those state governments return our schools and stop funding them. We can manage them. We did not beg the government ab initio to partner with us. It was the government that couldn’t provide enough school that came in subtly to partner with us but now going another mile to take over completely.
“Can the government own what they did not spend their money to build? Those who took over our schools did not tell us that our religious traditions and culture would be eradicated. We call on all Christians in every legislative house, including the National Assembly, to arise and speak for the Church.
