** I’m Not Behind Hijab Crisis In Osun
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has washed his hands off the crisis rocking the educational sector in the state.
Aregbesola said he was yet to direct female Muslims to wear hijab to public schools in Osun State.
Osun State has been in the news lately over the use of hijab to public schools by female Muslims. Last Monday, some Christian students wore church garments to school in protest of the new alleged policy.
The next day, the government threatened to expel any student that wore unauthorised cloth to schools in the state. Speaking on the issue again, Aregbesola said at a roundtable on developing collaborative framework for education organised by the Development and Advancement in Western Nigeria that, “Let me say this, there is no official pronouncement on hijab. I have not ordered the use of hijab in schools and I challenge them to bring evidence.”
He added that, “It might interest you that my wife does not use hijab, my daughter does not use hijab. So, I did not order the use of hijab.
“My view on Islam is why I am suffering unmerited persecution. My crime is that I struggle to be a good Muslim and not because I hurt anybody.”
Aregbesola maintained that there was no crisis in the state’s education sector and accused the media of celebrating idiocy by focusing on the decision of some “misguided students” of Baptist High School to wear church garments to school.
He said it was wrong for any religious body to claim the ownership of any public school in the state as government took over the schools about 41 years ago.
The governor also said it was not true that schools founded by Muslim were merged with schools established by Christian missionaries.
He explained that the hijab crisis started in 2012 when four Muslim students were prevented from using hijab after they were transferred to Baptist High School from a school where they were allowed to use hijab.
