Ogun State government has directed school girls to start covering their heads with hijab in public schools.
This call was made by the League of Imams and Alfas Ogun State, during its December meeting held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The Islamic clerics asked all female Muslim students in Ogun to start using Hijab in public schools in the State.
This directive is after a recent meeting had been held with the State government on the need for their female children to adorn themselves with hijab on their school uniforms in government-owned schools.
A statement signed by its Secretary General, Sheikh Tajudeen Adewunmi, said the commencement of the usage of hijab starts January 9, 2023, when the students would resume for the second term.
“Only desiring and willing female Muslim students could adorn white colour shoulder length cape hijab as they resume for the second term of the 2022/2023 academic session on Monday 9th January, 2023 and henceforth without any fear of molestation or punishment.
“Many female Muslim students in Nigeria, and Ogun State in particular have continued to feature unnecessarily in many protracted cases of infringements on their rights in their quest to practice their religion, especially as regards the use of hijab in schools.
“However, all doubts or controversies on the matter have been put to rest by the pronouncement of the Honourable Justices of the Supreme Court of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which reaffirmed the rights of Muslim students in Nigerian Schools to use hijab as they so wished.
“It should also be put on record that many agencies of the Ogun State government have always expressed that there is no law whatsoever that prevented female Muslim students from the use of hijab even though Muslim students who put on hijab have always been beaten, embarrassed or/and humiliated in many ways over the years.
“God’s given rights and freedom that is also guaranteed by the law of the land do not require any formality or approval,” the statement read in part.
The clerics league also urged the State government to warn teachers and school heads to desist from depriving Muslim female students of their human rights and accept the approval of the use of hijab in schools.
