Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has received the report of the panel of inquiry on the Hijab question at the public funded-Oyun Baptist School, Ijagbo.
The governor promised to convoke inter-faith dialogue that will strengthen peace, tolerance and and understanding among adherents of different faiths in the state.
” its at the Presidential Lodge Ilorin.
AbdulRazaq assured the people of the state that the government would soon reopen the school for academic activities under a peaceful atmosphere.
The chairman of the panel of inquiry Dr Shehu Omoniyi Ibrahim called on the government to institute a periodic interfaith dialogue or bi-annual interfaith convention to promote religious harmony in the state.
The panel recommended, among other things, a review of the policy on grant-aided schools to clarify grey areas; police investigation into the violence that claimed one life and prosecution of any culprits to avoid a repeat; official action on specific individuals indicted of negligence or collusion in the crisis; (government) payment of hospital bills of those injured; and appeasement of the family that lost their son.
The panel also held that government’s policy allowing any female Muslim child to wear her hijaab in all categories of public schools is in order and should stand except the Supreme Court later holds otherwise.
It added that government should restrict religious activities in public schools to those officially conducted by either the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) or Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS), while disallowing clerics or individuals from outside the schools from conducting such activities in public schools, among other recommendations.
Other members of the panel were Pastor Modupe Agboola; Kwara State Chairperson of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr. Saudat AbdulBaki; Special Assistant to the Governor on Religion (Islam) Alhaji Ibrahim Zubair Danmaigoro; Special Assistant to the Governor on Religion (Christianity) Reverend Timothy Akangbe; and a director in the Ministry of Justice, Ishola Olofere (Secretary).
