Over the past week, there have been discussions sparked by CAN’s rejection of the closure of schools in some predominantly Muslim states in the North. Along the way, I came across another article published by Daily Trust on the same subject, written by a Muslim—or at least someone with a Muslim name, though I do not know his faith. Â
It was only this morning that I took some time off from assessing my students to read the articles. It is not fair to react to a statement one has not read.
I read the press release by the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) several times, hoping to find some wisdom in it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. CAN is its usual self—apprehensive of anything Islamic out of fear of losing relevance. Christianity in Nigeria, as I always say, survives only because of Islam. For example, if Muslims were to stop going on Hajj, all the Christian pilgrims’ boards, including the central one in Abuja, would naturally die off. It is only when Muslims speak about Shariah that Christians suddenly remember there is something called Ecclesiastical law, about which most of them know little. The examples are many.
This time, CAN argues that closing schools “for an extended period disrupts academic schedules and threatens the educational advancement of millions of students.” What CAN has forgotten is that Nigerian schools have always been closed for the same “extended period” of at least one month since colonial times to observe Christian festivals. In fact, the Nigerian school calendar is designed to close all schools for at least two weeks each for Easter and Christmas celebrations. These Christian holidays have been officially recognized and embedded in our school calendar in a supposedly secular country. If CAN were truly concerned about religious balance, as it falsely claims, it would have advocated for the cancellation of Christmas and Easter holidays and proposed something neutral.
Archbishop Daniel Okoh, the signatory of the press release, wanted Nigerians to believe that closing schools during Ramadan would compromise the education of Christian children and devalue Christian communities in the North. This is an admission by the CAN President that the education of Nigerian Muslim children has always been compromised and that Nigerian Muslims have no value in Nigeria since their children are forced to remain out of school for Christian festivals.
I am waiting for the CAN President and his team to go to court as they have threatened. What I would like to assure them is that Nigerian Muslims are now wiser. CAN hasn’t seen anything yet. All traces of Christianity that have been imposed on other Nigerians must be removed from our national life. It is just a matter of time.
The opening argument of the Daily Trust writer is that there is no single injunction in Islam mandating the closure of schools during Ramadan. I wish he had also told us where Islam mandates the closure of schools for Christmas and Easter. Islam is a complete way of life—isn’t that what he is trying to argue against? Does Islam not prohibit us from blindly copying Jews and Christians?
From the beginning, Muslims have paid for the unity of the North—and indeed Nigeria—with their religion and, in some cases, their blood. This must stop at some point. If we are to remain united, then the rights of Muslims must be recognized and respected.
The people who colonized us were Christians, which explains why Christianity is embedded in almost every aspect of our national life. Now that Muslims are saying no, some people are shouting about unity. A shared Northern identity? Yes. One Nigeria? Yes. One religion? No. We are Muslims and will not continue to accept the imposition of another religion upon us.
Finally, I call on our governors and, indeed, the Federal Government to embark on a comprehensive reform of our school system to align it with our values and beliefs. All neocolonial elements should be removed.
Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia is an academic staff member in the Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria.