In the first major fall-out from Governor
Aregbesola’s hide-and-seek religious games in Osun state, Shariah proponents
roundly beat up Mr Layi Oguntola, principal at Baptist High School (BHS),
Ejigbo on Monday 25th November. A number of other Christian teachers in
the school (including
one Phillip Oke) were also beaten to a pulp and it was the timely intervention
of the town’s monarch that prevented possible bloodshed. The principal was
hospitalized for three days following the severe beatings. Allegedly, Mr Oguntola had, a few days
previously, disallowed some Hijab-clad girls from coming to school. Surely, Moslem
faithfuls could not let such an incident go unavenged!
As was evident later on however, though there
have been vigorous Islamic protests against the clearly articulated position of
the Baptist Convention that the hijab is not acceptable in any of the schools
established by her, no student had actually yet come to BHS donning the hijab. And of course the Principal could therefore
neither have forcibly removed any such hijab nor sent any student out of the
school for wearing one. Clearly, the already hyper-excited Hijab-militia are
finding it rather difficult to hold on till more politically expedient climes
before pushing forward with their sworn Islamist agenda.
In April last year, leading advocate for hijabs
in Osun public schools, Prof Ishaq Akintola from Lagos state, referred to the
issue as a “sword of Damocles hanging over our heads” and an “imbroglio”
waiting to escalate. As we pointed out
in our rejoinder, although Ishaq Akintola could not really articulate why
moslems have suddenly come to realize that the standard female school uniform
is “only fit for night clubs”, he concocted the incredible story that Christian
teachers were beating up hijab-donning moslem girls on the streets, just for
wearing the hijab! While apparently
conceding to Governor Aregbesola’s plea for restraints at that time, Akintola
warned ominously, “the last may not have been heard of the (matter)” (Please see
http://churcharise.blogspot.com/2012/05/hijab-seeks-headway-in-osun-state-sw.html)
Mr Oguntola of Baptist High School got a
first-hand experiential understanding of that statement on Monday 25th November.
According to Mr Oguntola, about 250 Muslims youths pounced
on him on that day, pounding him to a pulp right in his office. THISDAY
newspaper reported that “dangerous weapons such as axes, cutlasses and charms
were liberally used by the irate Muslim youths”; while the media house
InformationNigeria insisted that the mob was actually led by some moslem
parents identified as having been very vocal in the advocacy for the hijab in
the school.(http://www.informationng.com/2013/11/parents-beat-principal-to-a-pulp-in-osun-over-use-of-hijab.html)
The first full-fledge secondary school in Ejigbo,
the Baptist High School was established by Baptist missionaries in February
1960, and it remains one of the top schools in the State. When Gov
Aregbesola first introduced his educational reform policy, all public schools
(including those established by religious missions - most of them Christian
missions) were to lose their traditions and identity. Common sense
however prevailed as it was clear that the re-classification of schools as
Lower, Middle or High School for administrative effectiveness does not have to
wipe out the identities and values of the Christian proprietors. Although
Governor Aregbesola has strongly criticized the beating of Mr Oguntola and the
other Christian teachers at BHS, all eyes are on him to see what exactly
becomes of his vow to make the attackers face ”the wrath of the law”.
Initial signals are however not encouraging. It
is already being reported that the state government feels the way to soothe
currently frayed nerves and ease the palpable tension in the state would be to
transfer the brutalized principal to another school. Although the Speaker of
the State’s House of Assembly who is reportedly anchoring such moves has issued
a statement to deny it, he at the same time announced a donation of a bus to
the local branch of the Christian Association of Nigeria at Ejigbo, the major
opponents of such a move. What astute timing!
The staunch-moslem Speaker, Honourable Nojeem Salaam, is both an
indigene of Ejigbo as well as an alumnus of Baptist High School.
On another note, Mr Aregbesola has proved himself
to be a man who can passionately pursue diametrically opposed viewpoints
without batting an eye. For instance, for all his many
apparent islamizing agenda (including his turning Osun to the only state in
Nigeria, perhaps in the whole world, that gives a public holiday to mark the Islamic
new year), many pious moslems would insist that the governor is nothing more
than a cultist, especially in his ardent fervor to revive the dying ancient
idols of Yorubaland. The undeniable truth is Mr Aregbesola needs the
Islamic establishment in his battle against Christianity and Christian
influences which he is unable to fight using the traditional religion platform
alone. If he could succeed against Christianity (and of course he can never!),
it would be a picnic subduing his Moslem “brothers” later on.
Mr Aregbesola’s “double-speaks” and actions on
the social level is even more blatant. For instance, while he vaunts himself as
the vanguard of the Omoluwabi culture
(the Yoruba-cherished concepts about virtue), many will swear that the
governor’s reported actions and roles during the Ondo state governorship
election were hardly omoluwabi (see http://www.nairaland.com/892011/aregbesolas-verbal-mess-vituperation-political,
or even the state’s official news
organ, www.osundefender.org/?p=27647 ). The story only got worse
in the recently concluded governorship election in Anambra state, where the
only armed thugs arrested in the otherwise peaceful event were people (over 180
of them) sent all the way from Osun State. (see http://www.elombah.com/index.php/special-reports/19079-how-rochas-imported-fake-osun-election-observers-to-anambra-state-jega).
One shudders to imagine what could happen in 2014 when Mr Aregbesola himself
would be standing as the governorship candidate seeking the people’s votes.
While governor Aregbesola might indeed not be
particularly interested in hijabs coming to public schools at this juncture,
certain highly placed Islamists whose political support the governor considers
indispensable (particularly the so-called Teblics), certainly feel the time is
ripe to stamp such Islamic authority on the State. And they undoubtedly hold the issue as a
major negotiating card with the governor.
So can Mr Aregbesola afford to wield the big
stick against his determined Islamist constituency as he moves into election
year? Does he have the capacity to prevent his scheming brethren from fanning
into a conflagration, the smouldering embers of Hijab militancy?
As reported by the NigerianMonitor, the governor has
declared that he would not respect any status of any group found to be involved
in the mauling of Mr Oguntola. According
to the governor, “We will not tolerate any act of lawlessness from any group or
individual, irrespective of their status. ….No individual or group is allowed
by the constitution to take laws into their hands. We won’t tolerate that. We
will not treat such case with kid’s gloves and anyone caught with such
uncivilised act will be made to face the law.” http://www.nigerianmonitor.com/2013/11/29/hijab-governor-aregbesola-vows-to-deal-with-principals-attackers/). So we say, good talk.
Now let’s see the actions!.