Governor Abdulrazaq declares that wearing a hijab is a constitutional right and is permitted in Kwara State

GOVERNOR Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has declared that the use of the hijab head covering in government-owned schools is a constitutional right of every person in Nigeria and his administration will respect that.

Highly polarising, the wearing of the hijab has caused a lot of division in schools across Nigeria with hardliners on both sides taking extreme positions. Stating the position of his government on the matter, Governor Abdulrazaq said  the use of hijab in public schools is a constitutional right that the government shall protect for anyone and everyone willing to use it.

He also condemned what he described as the reckless attempts by some fifth columnists to, polarise Kwara State along religious lines, using the settled question of hijab in public schools as a smokescreen to advance their evil intent. According to the governor, Kwara State is a plural society whose diversity and peaceful coexistence as the southernmost northern state are its most unique selling points.

According to the governor, the position of the state government on the question of the hijab is based on subsisting court judgments which were built on the constitution. He added that his government stands firmly by the policy on the permissibility of hijab for every Muslim girl child who desires to wear it in all public schools.

Governor Abdulrazaq said: “The government’s strategic patience in the handling of delicate matters involving the people it swore to protect is not the same as pandering to anyone’s whims. This administration, to be sure, is beholden only to the law, truth and fairness to all at all times.”