A Response To Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa On His Lies On Hijab
BY Alhaji Liadi Tella
The Kwara School Hijab issue and the display of ignorance or deliberate disinformation by Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN is astonishing to say the least. I don’t know if he was born before the 1963 or 79 constitutions were enacted. I assume that he must have passed secondary Education when the 1999 constitution became operational. Let us take for granted the he was not of age in 1963 and 1979, before he passed his law degree examinations at the University, he must have taken and passed courses in constitutional laws of Nigeria.
Also at the law school, he ought to have passed the examination on constitutional law before he was called to the Nigerian Bar to practice law in Nigeria as Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He must also have excelled in legal practice to bag the prestigious title of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. It is therefore astonishing and astounding that he could sacrifice equity to take position on the right of Muslim pupils and high school students in kwara state to wear hijab while going to schools if they so elected to do so wthout recourse to the court of law or previous competent court judgment across the nation on the same issue became a judge in his own court as a Christian.
The statement that Nigeria is a secular state is not befitting to the status of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Has Nigeria ever being a secular state?
For the benefit of the younger generation of Nigerian. The colonization of the country and the amalgamation of the Northern and the Southern amalgamation in 1914 made Nigeria Christianized country under the King/Queen of England. The King /Queen was the founder and global head of the Anglican Church world wide till today including Nigeria. All the paraphernalia of State from local to Federal government were Christianised and run under Christian tradition and culture of the King/King of England. Since then till today, Muslims has to struggle to access their constitutional guaranteed rights.
The struggle began in 1955 with the formation of the Muslims Students Society of Nigeria MSSN in 1954 and the struggle is still on till today. The sage of Yorubas after Oduduwa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo inadvertently triggered the struggle in the same year with the introduction of free primary education in the old Western Region. The first set of university graduates began to emerge in 1972. The geometric rise in numbers triggered consciousness of Muslims in Nigeria at schools and social levels. Request for admission space which hitherto was exclusive preserve on Christians suddenly became competitive. It also triggered the suppression and depression of Muslim in schools and public services. We shall go into the depth of this in future.
Meanwhile, Is Ebun-Oluwa SAN ignorant of the facts stated above?
Let me assume that he was not born under colonial rule and by extension the first Republic. could he play ignorance of the provision of the 1963 Costitution sections 25 to 29 on the right of individuals to freedom of religion, worship and association? Is he also not at home with the content and context of the provisions of the 1979 constitution sections 35, 37 and 39? May be he also need to update himself particularly on sub sections 1, 2 and 3 0f the 1979 organic law of the nation.
Perhaps he also need a refresher course on the provisions of Chapter 4 sections 34 to 42 of the 1999 Constitution.
It is worrisome when the Educated and expected learned individuals get cloaked by religious antagonism and prebendalism descend to shop floor level of the ignorance to misinform the public and incite negative passion from Christians against the right of Muslim girls to wear hijab in schools in Kwara State albeit Nigeria.
Is Ebun-Olu oblivious of the 1976 takeover of schools throughout Nigeria by the Federal and State Governments? Compensation were paid to all the owners. The government’s retained the names as tributes to the contributions of private individuals and religious groups to the early development of Education particularly in Southern Nigeria. The schools takeover was to prevent the unconstitutional and forceful conversion of Muslim students to Christianity against their wishes and that of their parents.
I was a victim of this at the Baptist High School Iwo in the old Western State when I returned from Lagos after working briefly for two year to finance my Higher School Certificate HSC class. I have told that story in my book “Witness to Power Struggle.”
The unconstitutional prevention and discrimination and forceful conversion of Muslim students was what the Christian Association of Nigeria CAN and their Advocates are seeking to reimpose on the nation. It is a deliberate incitement of Muslims to negative reactions so as to stigmatise Islam as a violent religion. Unfortunately, Ebun-Olu did not comment on the killing of a Muslim student and scores other wounded by Christiam militias drafted to the school to drive away the hijabite students. What a tragedy on EQUITY?
It is also shocking, the complicity of the police and Civil Defence Corps officers present at the scenes. What is their reason for not preventing the mahem? Or arresting the criminals? The Police IG should investigate the incident and invite those involved for questions and charge them appropriately before the court. The DPO and DSS Leaders in the local should held accountable for any future crisis in the area. The Kwara State Government should speak up before it becomes another Boko Haram.
it is no deniable that Muslims in Eastern and South South Nigeria are endangered. Mosques are demolished at will by state governments. No Muslim group is granted Certificate of occupancy to build Mosques or Schools, Muslims have not resorted to violense people like the Kwara Baptist Church bigots. Yet, Ebun-Olu SAN will classify Nigeria as a secular country.
New English Dictionary by Geddes & Grosseteste define the word secular thus: having no connection with religion or the Church.
The constitution of Nigeria never use the word secular. It rather protect the rights to freedom of religion, worship and association.
What really is the Christians hullabaloo about hijab all about? What is the effect of the use of hijab on Christianity or Christians in Nigeri?
CAN and other advocates like Ebun-Olu SAN need to answer these questions.
Enough of heating up the polity in the name of Christianity. Are the pretentious Church pastor, evangelist and numerous GO’S like Christ? Is the opposition against Muslims or President Buhari is a genuine reason for cloaking under Christianity to perpetuate instability In Nigeria?
Only Pastors Kumuyi, Bakare, Mama GO and a few others are Pacific and preachers of love and brotherhood to all, irrespective of tribe religion or political persuasion.
I Challenge Ebun-Olu SAN TO A PUBLIC DEBATE ON TV on this issue at any time and place.
