UNILORIN VC Blames CAN For Hijab Crisis in Osun

The Vice chancellor of University of Ilorin, Professor Abdulganiyu Ambali, has blamed the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Osun state chapter, for the recent religious crisis in the state which attracted nationwide attention, by resorting to “self help” and instigated students of Iwo Baptist High school to wear choir attire to school to counter the Muslim students who wear Hijab as a result of a court judgement, instead of appealing the judgement in court.

Professor Ambali, who said this in his address delivered at the opening ceremony of the conference on Law and Religion held on Wednesday in the university auditorium, warned that it is unacceptable to use antics of religion to violate the law.

The international conference was jointly organised by the faculty of law and the department of religion of the university of Ilorin with the support of international Centre for Law and Religion studies, Brigham Young university, USA, National Inter-Religions council (NIREC)among others.

According to the Vice Chancellor, ”‎Rather than appeal the judgement and use the law,the Christian Association of Nigeria (Osun state chapter) resorted to self help saying Muslim girls cannot wear hijab in public/christian schools directed pupils to go to school in their choir gowns and thereby violate the approved school uniforms”

“There was tension that has now simmered as harmonious co-existence and healthy ‎development became threatened by the antics of using Religion to violate law when law was seen to be consistent with religion,“ he added.

“However, when religion appears to be a tool in the hands of lawless men, harmonious co-existence is undermined and development is compromised,” he stressed.

The Vice chancellor, therefore, canvassed that religion and law should be managed well as recipes for development.

Professor Ambali, therefore, urged Nigerians to stay away from religious crisis in any form because it compromised development.

He noted that this became necessary because, ”our country is still yet to recover from the scars of lawless people who claim religion and perpetrate atrocities of monumental proportion in the north eastern part of the country as a result of which development in the region has been driven back several years”