An Oyo State High Court, Ibadan has ruled that female Muslim students of the International School, University of Ibadan have the right to wear hijab on top of their school uniform.
Justice Moshood Ishola said the right to practise religion is enshrined in the constitution of Nigeria.
Delivering judgment in the suit on Wednesday, the judge said his decision was hinged on previous Supreme Court judgments.
Some Muslim students of the school, backed by their parents, filed the suit against the school management in 2018.
They insisted that they enjoyed the fundamental human right to wear hijab on their school uniform.
Also joined in the suit were some principal officers of the school.
The plaintiffs included Faridah Akerele, Aaliyah Dopesi, Akhifah Dokpesi, Raheemah Akinlusi, Imam Akinoso, Hamdallah Olosunde, Aliyyah Adebayo, Moriddiyah Yekinni, Ikhlas Badiru, Mahmuda Babarinde, and Fareedah Moshood.
The judge said the school, being a public institution, should allow female Muslim students the right to wear hijab.
He also noted in addition to the constitutional provisions, some charters grant freedom of religion and association.
The judge said: “The school, staff, or its agents have no right to punish students for using hijab on the school premises or outside the school premises.
“Fundamental human rights are inalienable rights and cannot be taken, even by the powerful government. The school is a public institution.”
The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria yesterday appealed to the Lagos State Government to make the reviewed policies public and available to stakeholders before implementation.
This, the organisation said, would aid a collective acceptance of the policy and prevent a similar crisis currently witnessed with the Land Use Charge.
Its Lagos State Amir (President), Dr Saheed Ashafa, said this after attending the Lagos State Stakeholders Engagement Forum on the review of the state’s policy on education.
Ashafa, who commended the move, said that it was important to give education stakeholders the opportunity to assess the policies before implementation.
He noted that implementing the policies without adequate input from stakeholders may not yield the desired result.
He said: “We commend Lagos State Government for bringing stakeholders together to consider the proposed new policies on education. The involvement of stakeholders is a step to success but we must avoid shortcut. We love the tall aspiration of Lagos state government for striving to meet up with the status of leading nations in the education sector like Finland, South Korea and Singapore.
“While we commend the state government for involving stakeholders in the validation of the document, we feel it is fundamental to share necessary documents with stakeholders for quality contribution and unquestionable acceptance.
“A situation where a ready-made policy is just being read to stakeholders without giving room for input or contributions may defeat the good notion of the state government to maintain a good relationship with stakeholders in the education sector.”
He, however, appealed to the Lagos State Government not to allow the implementation of the new policy disrupts the peace and relative progress being enjoyed in the state’s education sector.
“We advocate for all-inclusive implementation of the policy. One way to do this is to allow non-governmental organisations to participate in the monitoring of the policy to enhance objectivity in reporting,” he said.
The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has congratulated the 2017 winner of the Spelling Bee Competition, Bukola Zoffun of Awodi-Ora Senior High School, Ajeromi in Education District V.
Its President, Dr Saheed Ashafa, in a statement yesterday, hailed other finalists at the competition for the achievement.
He urged the pupils to remain focus, saying the sky is not just their limit but a starting point for whoever remains resolute to succeed.
He praised Lagos State government for sustaining the initiative since inception – 17 years back.
Ashafa enjoined the government to also award the teachers of the winners in subsequent editions.
He said: “We must commend Lagos state Government for sustaining this programme despite the huge resources it gulps annually. We however advise that teachers who coach these pupils to success should also be rewarded in the coming years.”
MSSN Lagos State chapter held honoured last year’s winner and his cabinet members during a Merit Award last July.
Ashafa maintained that MSSN would continue to support government and non- governmental organisations in academic and other youth development programmes.
Muslim students’ community at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has held a conference at the college’s mosque.
The event with the theme: Surviving beyond the horizon, was organised by graduating Muslim in 48 departments in preparation for their graduation from the school. The event was graced by notable Islamic scholars outside the campus. The organisers said it was aimed at enhancing networking and entrepreneurship education among the graduating students in order to give them a glimpse of what to expect after graduation.
Dr Luqman Balogun, who spoke on The key tools for business development, advised the students to imbibe the virtue of strategic planning, telling them to design feasible and challenging goals. He charged them to be creative and pursue their goals in line with the ethos of Islam.
Dr Shakirrullah Ajani, who spoke Doing business in the 21st century, advised the students to explore opportunities brought by technology to improve their professional experience. He emphasised the need to follow the technological trend, noting that such would help them to be relevant in their chosen career.
He said: “You must not be deficient in technological knowledge, because this is the foundation for doing business in this century. You must be informed about modern techniques and position yourselves to be technologically-oriented.”
Ajani advised the graduating students not to involve in trades opposed by Islam teachings, urging them to always leave their comfort zones to search for knowledge. He told them to build networking group that would benefit their physical and spiritual aspiration.
The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit has expressed support for the Southwest Ggovernors’ plan to unite school curriculum and education policies.
Its president Dr Saheed Ashafa yesterday described the governors’ resolution as a welcome development, saying it would boost literacy in the region.
Recall that among the resolutions of the Southwest governors, who met in Ekiti State on Monday, is to have a uniform education curriculum that will improve the standard of education.
Ashafa urged the governors to ensure that the proposed curriculum was all inclusive, adding that it should be built to tackle the growing moral decadence in the region and country at large.
He said: “We applaud the collaborative efforts of the governors in the Southwest. We hope that this will aid development of the region in different areas. We particularly commend their interest on moral decadence observable among students through a unified curriculum being proposed.
“We strongly believe that the earlier government realised the need to tackle moral decadence, the better for the future of the youths. This a major reason for the inclusion of a course like Islamic Religious Studies. Religious education remained one of the most reliable means of ensuring moral uprightness.
“Having a uniform curriculum is a good plan that will help equal educational development in the region and will assist in eradicating illiteracy, which is still very high in some of the states. It will also create a chance for a practical means to measure the standard of education in the region.”
Ashafa urged the governors not to politicise education, expressing concern over the non-teaching of Islamic Religious Studies in some schools in the Southwest.
He called on stakeholders in education sector to assist the governors in making the curriculum unification a reality.
“We hope that this move is not a mere political statement. The governors should act swiftly on their plans, especially the one relating to education by taking the proposal beyond paper works,” Ashafa added.
New students of the Lagos State University (LASU) have benefited from the orientation powered by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, LASU branch (MSSN-LASU).
The event, which held at the institution’s MBA Hall in Ojo campus was titled: ‘The true ambassadors: Muslim students as a focus’.
One of the speakers, Prof. L. M. Adetona of Religious Studies Department, who spoke on the topic: ‘Propagating Al-Islam: The role of an undergraduate,’ urged the students to always create time for the work of Allah and serve him more.
Dr. Abdul-Lateef Kelani of the Faculty Law, who talked about ‘Academic excellence, students’ activism and productivity after school: Understanding its nexus’, advised the students to be involved in all university extracurricular activities, including unionism, religious groups, among others.
He said such activities would train them to be productive after school, adding that Muslims should strive to acquire knowledge, academic excellence and strike a balance to yield good results.
Mr O. J. Tijani of the Accounting Department gave a presentation on the computation of Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) and its relevance in a student’s life before and after exams.
He urged the students to focus on building their CGPA.
Being a first class graduate of the institution, Tijani shared his success story with the students, noting that his case was exceptional, as he did not start with a first class but ended one.
He advised the students to grade themselves before exams to serve as guide for self-assessment when the actual grade comes, warning that as the level increases, building CGPA becomes more cumbersome.
At the interactive session, a student, Abdul Akeem from the Faculty of Art, asked how a Muslim could cope with students’ politics without foregoing his Islamic principles. He was advised to be an ambassador of Islam, defend and promote its principles.
Mallam Alabidun Mafuz, the Amir of the group, also admonished the fresh students to be part of the MSSN-LASU and play active roles in advancing the society.
The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit, has urged the Federal Government to curb the spate of kidnappings nationwide.
Its Amir (President), Saheed Ashafa, in a statement yesterday condemned the abduction of former MSSN National President Mallam Muhammed Awwal Maidoki, his wife Ummu-Khulsum; younger sister, Hafsatu, and his younger brother’s wife, Aisha.
Ashafa said security agencies have temporarily abandoned their duties for roadside check.
He said: “The rate of kidnapping in this country shows that a major reform is needed in the police force. A situation where motorists get freed when stopped for a search after settling the police show how porous our security situation is.
“A proactive measure is needed to end the current rate of kidnapping. Kidnapping must be fought by the government like terrorism. This is because it is a poisonous gift that may graduate to terrorism act.
“Kidnapping is as dangerous as Ebola and other deadly diseases as it leaves disturbing experiences that are capable of causing psychological disorder in some victims.
“More painful is the fact that kidnappers are now going after school pupils and clerics, who spent productive part of their lives to build the society.”
He called on security agencies to ensure the arrest of perpetrators behind the abduction of Mallam Maidoki and his family members.
The Lagos State Area Unit of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) has appealed to corporate organisations to assist the government in raising and equipping the youths with necessary skills in oder for the country to attain steady development.
The MSSN Amir (leader), Saheed Ashafa, made the appeal when he led members of the society in a visit to BUA International Limited in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Saheed said private firm needed to assist government in empowering the youths. One of the ways to do this, he said, is to support the actualisation of the Human Capital Development Centre (HCDC) project of the Muslim students’ group.
The HCDC facility, which is located at Noforija in Epe, is used in training Muslim youths during school holidays.
Ashafa said: “We appeal to corporate organisations and individuals to support the sustenance of our HCDC project. We believe that when the project is sustained, it will help to build youths in key areas that will enhance national development.”
While presenting a short documentary of the HCDC project, chairman of the project committee, Kaamil Kalejaiye, said the project would help the youths to discharge good leadership role in the society.
He said: “The HCDC is being developed to provide multidisciplinary leadership training for the youths as a mark of continuous contribution to national and community development in areas of academic excellence, spiritualism, intellectualism and morality. The entire cost for the project is N1.2 billion.”
The centre, when completed, will enable the MSSN train more than 30,000 youths on various skills in a year, said Kaamil.
He added: “The facilities currently available on the site are inadequate to host both male and female programmes. We strongly desire to give a facelift to the existing facilitates to a degree that will support the hosting of the female programmes in the current year.”
Speaking on behalf of the BUA Group of companies, the company’s General Manager (Cement Expansion in Africa), Mr Suleiman Ali, praised MSSN for its youth development projects. He said the company would support the development of the youth and contribute its quota after discussing the proposal with the company’s management.
Ashafa presented the MSSN’s list of upcoming programmes to the company. They included Young Managers Quiz contest, Quran Memorization contest and youth camps, among others. He also presented the proposal for the support of HCDC project to Ali.
Other members of the MSSN delegation included Vice Amir, Ishaq AbdulAzeez, Financial Secretary, AbdulKabir Kuye, Public Relations Officer, Idris Qasim, Administrative Secretary, Abduljelil Adeosun, former Editor, Saheed Adigun, and Shakrullah AbdulFatah, Head of Logistics and Transport.ý
There are strong indications that the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) is gradually becoming hostile to female Muslim candidates wearing hijab, the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit has alleged.
The group made the allegation following recent harassment and delay of Muslim candidates wearing Hijab before accessing some examination centres for the JAMB Computer Based Test (CBT) Examination in Lagos.
MSSN noted that it already visited two centres – Shoms International School and Daleware Institute of Technology in Lagos – due to the worrisome attitude of some JAMB officers, who expressed discriminatory act against female Muslim candidates on Hijab.
After visiting the centres, Amir (President) of MSSN Lagos, Mallam Saheed Ashafa, decried the harassments of the female Muslim students, wondering the reason behind the latest discrimination against hijabites.
Ashafa explained that JAMB breached the constitution of Nigeria, which guaranteed fundamental human right of religion by denying female Muslim candidates from taking the examination.
He said: “There is no gain saying that JAMB is still a neutral body. Recent actions embarked upon by some officers of the body strongly indicate that JAMB-UTME is denying Muslims of their fundamental human rights. If not, why are JAMB officials refusing female Muslims from entering examination centres because they put on Hijab? The reports we got from several centres are worrisome, hence we decided to visit some of the centres and found out that they were true.”
The group also accused JAMB for fixing examination at a time ýwhen Muslims were supposed to be observing their Jumat service, adding: “Examination bodies should stop tampering on the rights of Muslim students. While it is Muslims wish to participate in examinations, in the process we do not want our rights to freedom of religion to be trampled upon. JAMB cannot claim ignorance of the fact that Muslims observe their Jumat prayer between 1pm and 3pm on Fridays.
“JAMB should be reminded that the use of Hijab by the female Muslim students is a constitutional right which has been unequivocally affirmed and guaranteed by the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended and international instruments which Nigeria is a party to. We hope that this will stop without chaos.
“JAMB can only claim neutrality by stopping the refusal and delay of female Muslim candidates on Hijab from gaining entrance without stress like other students. We are not asking the examination body to infringe on other peoples religious rights but the JAMB must know clearly that the same reason why it cannot fix examination on Sunday (24 hours) and allow people to expose their nakedness makes it un-ideal for it to fix examination during Jumat time (two hours) and stop those coving their nakedness with Hijab.
“As if that was not enough, JAMB also exposed candidates to danger in the name of writing examination by fixing examination for 6.30am, a time when Muslims will just be completing their morning Salat (prayer). We appeal to the JAMB authorities to put a stop to this before it degenerate into crisis.”
Members of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) are angry with the management for allegedly interfering in its affairs. MUSILIU OLORUNLEKE reports.
Members of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) branch of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) are angry. To them, the suspension of their activities infringes on their freedom to right of association.
•Prof Bello
The school suspended the group’s activities following, a petition by some aggrieved members to the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Rahamon Bello. The petitioners, it was learnt, accused MSSN leaders of corruption and urged the management to dissolve the executive council to allow for election.
The VC consituted a panel chaired by Dr Luqman Adams of the Faculty of Science to investigate the matter.
The panel did not find any of the MSSN leaders guilty of corruption. But, it abolished The Shura (consensus), a process through which members select their leaders.
The panel’s recommendations read in part: “The MSSN bye-laws should be reviewed, especially the section on the composition of the Shura. The inclusion of postgraduate students, area units and area council representatives on the Shura should be discontinued. Representatives of the Muslim community (Staff Adviser) and a (Muslim) nominee of Dean, Students Affairs should be included in the Shura to serve in advisory capacity.
“The current MSSN executive should be allowed to complete its tenure. However, a committee should be set up to review the MSSN bye-laws to conform to the university rules and regulations before another election is conducted.
“The current MSSN Staff Adviser, Dr Tajudeen Yusuf, has offered to resign his position having served as the Staff Adviser since 1999. Subsequently, the position of the staff adviser should be occupied by two persons (one male and one female) who must be Muslims. Their appointment will be done in consultation with the Muslim community.”
The VC sent the panel’s report to the Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), Prof Tunde Babawale, for action. The DSA upheld the panel’s recommendation that the MSSN’s exeuctive council’s tenure had expired and ordered it to hand over all property in its possession.
A memo titled: “Completion of tenure of office”, signed by the Deputy DSA, Dr A.K. Adebayo said: “The current executive members of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria came into office in September 2014. By general practice and in accordance with the rules and regulations guiding students’ associations, clubs and societies in the university, there should be elections as your tenure lapsed in September 2015. You are hereby expected to forward your hand over notes to the staff advisers on or before November 9, 2015.”
It also directed that the keys to the MSSN vehicles and secretariat, including cash be handed over. It did not state whether election should be held immediately or in January when the school is expected to resume.
Prof Babawale also wrote to the UNILAG Muslim Community on the appointment of Dr Ismail Musa of Islamic Studies Department and Dr Hikmat Koleosho of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences as MSSN’s staff advisers.
The DSA said the management would implement the panel’s recommendations and asked the Muslim community for suggestions on how to promote peace and brotherhood in the group.
A congress presided over by the embattled Amir (president), Abdur-Rasheed Adeoye, and suspervised by Dr Musa and a representative of the DSA, identified simply as Mr Raji, was held.
In line with the panel’s recommendations, the congress reviewed the bye-law setting up MSSN.
During voting, 116 participants voted for the adoption of the reviews; 23 were against.
The outcome of the congress was not adopted because it was not in tandem with the panel’s recommendations.
A top member of MSSN, who did not want his name in print, said: “The management has inordinate interest in the affairs of the MSSN. They have prevented the emergence of a new set of executives by opposing the reviews of the bye-law and supporting the action of faceless petitioners within the body. The management’s action may further fuel crisis in the body.”
On the implication of the crisis, the Amir said: “It means all the assistance being rendered to incoming students during screening will be no more. The yearly orientation we hold for freshers to engage them on ways they can prosper academically, socially and spiritually has been suspended. The much-needed academic tutorials we organise for Distance Learning Institute (DLI) students is on hold. It means entrepreneurship programme our members attend during holiday has been cancelled. This is not fair.”
On the outcome of the bye-laws review, Abdur-Rasheed said: “It is one of the conditions given by the management to conform to the school regulation. The review was done as directed and we held our Annual General Meeting to adopt the reviews. 116 students voted for the adoption of the review, while 23 voted against it. For any decision to be made, two-third must be in favour of that decision. The outcome of the vote showed that we met the required quorum. Despite that, the outcome was rejected.”
Members of the body have launched social media campaign against the suspension of the group’s activities.
Their campaign is being conducted through the hashtags: #BringBackOurMSSNUNILAG and #MyMSSNUNILAG.
They said the suspension would inconvenience some of them, who are benefiting from MSSN scholarship and assistance.
The suspension would dash the hope of participants in Holiday Training Programme (HTP), a yearly entrepreneurship programme where Muslim students are trained in vocational skills.
Ibrahim Animashaun, a 200-Level student, described the suspension of MSSN acitivities as uncalled for, saying: “I am bitter about the whole situation.”
Rasheeda Opere, a 300-Level student, urged the management to reverse its decision and investigate the petitioners.
Fatimah Alaafin, a 300-Level student, said: “I am surprised at the whole development and the decision of the management. It is only in Nigeria that this happens.”
The initiator of the social media campaign, Isiak Sonibare, a 300-Level student, said the aim was to draw attention to the group’s plight.
