A pro-democracy group, Human Rights Writers’ Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has urged the Governor of the State of Osun, Rauf Aregbesola to desist from introducing religious uniforms in public schools.
Reacting to growing schism in the state among contending religious forces on the proposed plan by the state government to introduce religious school uniform, the Rights group asked the state government to keep the peace by maintaining the gap between the state and organized religion.
HURIWA through its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National media Affairs officer Zainab Yusuf, said any official move by any state government to venture into the arena of mingling state affairs with religious matters amounts to constitutional breach punishable with outright impeachment by the legislature.
Citing section 10 of the Constitution which creates the needed Constitutional gap between the state and religion, the Rights group condemned the needless controversy being encouraged by the open-confrontation against the nation’s Constitution which will arise if Osun State government introduces religious uniforms in public schools.
The group said: “for the avoidance of doubts, may we kindly remind the government of Osun State that section 10 of the Nigerian Constitution which remains binding and indeed the supreme body of law provides that the government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion,”
HURIWA argues that any successful introduction of religious uniforms and symbols in Osun State amounts to introducing through the backdoor, a particular religion as State religion.
The group cautioned the Osun State governor not to breach the constitutional Oath of office sworn to by him not to let his private interest be played up in making any public and/or government policy even as it asked state governments to concentrate on bridging the gap between the few rich political elites and the millions of Nigerians going to beds hungry.
“Good governance and the fight against corruption should be the hallmark of all state governments. We expect that the state of Osun should rather deliver development to the suffering masses than play up religious sentiments by proposing to introduce school uniforms based on religious lines”, HURIWA stated.
