Christian students must wear garments if Muslims wear hijabs – CAN insists As Aregbesola threatens to expel students ‘wearing choir robes’ to schools

The Osun State Chapter of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Wednesday, said if Muslim students continue to wear hijab to public schools in the state, Christian pupils will equally not stop wearing church garments and other apparels.

This declaration was made known by the Vice Chairman, VC, of CAN in the state, Pastor Moses Ogundeji.

This is coming after the state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, restated that no student is allowed to put on unauthorized uniforms to school in the state, following the instruction of CAN in the state that students should go to school in church garments.
Aregbesola who on Tuesday said students who wore unauthorised cloths to any public schools in the State would be expelled henceforth. He stated this at the commissioning of St Micheal’s Government Middle School, Ibokun while reacting to different choir robes and garments wore to Baptist High School in Iwo by some Christian students.

He said it was wrong and criminal for a section or group of people to have directed some innocent students to wear choir robes to schools against court’s judgment. He urged whoever was not satisfied with the judgment to ventilate the grievance through legitimate means rather than trying to cause crises by resorting to self help.


According to him,“Government is not interested in any religion as being speculated. My goal is to improve education standard in the state.’’


Deputy Governor Titilaoye Tomori, who doubles as the Commissioner for Education, said the inauguration of the school had confirmed their mission statement in education.

Tomori said no fewer than 20 elementary, 22 middle and 17 high schools had either been commissioned or were at final stages of commissioning. While State Chairman, Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr Felix Awofisayo urged people to pay tax so that government can do more.

Some students of Iwo Baptist High School wore church garments and robes to school on Tuesday in reaction to the court ruling allowing Muslim female students to wear veils (hijab) to schools it was also gathered that they equally stormed the school, wearing different church garments on Wednesday in continuation of the Tuesday drama but were prevented from going inside.

In their response to the governor, CAN is insisting that the governor should be ready to expel all students in the state, if Christians and Muslim students cannot be treated alike.

While fielding questions from journalists at the venue of the prayer meeting the association called on the hijab controversy in Osogbo on Wednesday, the VC said, “If the governor is fighting for the right of the Muslims, we will also fight for the right of the Christians.

“He should be ready to expel those wearing hijab because hijab was never part of the school uniform,” Ogundeji added.

The Secretary of CAN, Apostle Joseph Olaide, also said while addressing the gathering, that Christian students cannot be stopped from wearing church garments, adding that CAN should be notified if security men arrested any of the pupils, saying the leadership would take up the case.


Meanwhile, CAN and Muslim leaders are to meet with the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi today to resolve the situation and avert any crisis that may erupt from the controversy.