The Kwara State government has been asked to compensate the family of the late Habeeb Idris killed on February 3 during the hijab crisis that rocked Ijagbo, Oyun Local Government Area of the state.
The state Muslim Community made the demand in a letter they addressed to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Monday.
The Muslims said to forestall future occurrences, the government should change names for all schools formerly owned by Muslim and Christian proprietors.
The letter signed by Alhaji Ishaq AbdulKareem (chairman) and Prof. AbdulKadir Ibrahim Abikan (secretary) made six recommendations to the State Government to resolve the hijab wearing by female Muslim students controversy in all public schools in the state.
The letter read in part, “The Kwara State government should change the names of all schools formerly owned by both the Muslim and Christian proprietors by adding ‘Government’ to them to reflect Ansarul Islam Government Secondary School, Ilorin; Bishop Smith Memorial Government College, Ilorin,” the community stated in the letter.
The community said the state government should build a new school mosque for Muslim students/ teachers of Bishop Smith Memorial College, Ilorin, to replace the one demolished by Kwara CAN thugs.
They called for the appointment of a new commissioner for education and human capital development, while the permanent secretary in the ministry should be moved to another ministry.
The letter demanded the Kwara State government to enforce freedom of worship in schools by ensuring that separate devotions are held for Muslim and Christian students at the school assembly, adding that no external imam or pastor should be allowed to participate in morning devotion aside from the school teachers.
“The Kwara State government should ensure, henceforth, that appointments and postings of principals into all schools are based on merit and seniority and should be the sole responsibility of Kwara State Teaching Service Commission instead of former proprietors as it’s being done now,” the letter said
