No wearing of hijab in NYSC camps, DG insists

Members of Muslim Youths in Da’wah on Tuesday had a
peaceful protest at the headquarters of the National Youth
Service Corps in Abuja against the ban on the use of hijab
by female Muslim corps members, especially during
orientation camps.
However the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-
General, Johnson Olawumi, insisted on the ban, saying it
was “for security reasons” and will not be lifted.
The national coordinator of LMYiD, Luqman Hassan; and
the Deputy Coordinator, Kamarudeen Adefila, had told the
NYSC DG that a major protest by Muslims was averted
because of the ban on hijab in most orientation camps.
Hassan told the DG:
“We are here to discuss with you about the incident
that happened recently in various camps across the
country. We have a guiding principle which is based
on the Holy Q’uran. We are all Nigerians and the
principle which guides us is the constitution and the
African Charter on Human rights.
“Members of the NYSC are Nigerians who have
contributed to the development of this country;
female corps members deserve protection by the
NYSC. We don’t believe that a female corps member
putting on hijab has done any wrong against the Act
establishing the NYSC. So they deserve the respect
of the NYSC. We have travelled far and wide and
visited different camps. Why are the rights of
female corps members being infringed upon. We are
here to register our displeasure.”
“Many Muslim organisations wanted to protest, but
we said wait a while. In fact, we have to intervene to
avoid the situation and if Muslims march on the
streets, it will attract a lot of negative comments,
but people won’t know why we are protesting,”
Adefila had added.
Olawumi said:
“Under my leadership, the NYSC will accord respect
to every corps member, irrespective of tribe and
religion. The incident in Benue State was caused by
the use of long hijab. The security situation in the
country is tough. There is the danger of somebody
using hijab for other reasons.
“Why are you so particular on your alleged infraction
on the rights of youths without mentioning any one
of such on Christian youths? Produce your evidence,
write to us and I can assure you that we will act
fast. When the incident in Benue State was reported
to us, I swung into action and ensured that the camp
commandant was decamped immediately. We are
not magicians; if you have any evidence, write to us
and we will not hesitate to act.”
The NYSC Legal Adviser, Ahmed Tijani Ibrahim, said the
incident in Benue State was still being investigated.
He said,:
"I’m a Muslim and in our camps, I know that we
have treated everybody equally. You mentioned the
fact that you would have proceeded to protest. Very
minor issues could trigger off mass protest.
“We will see the way forward to this complaint. I can
assure you that the issue will not be swept under the
carpet. The NYSC is very sensitive to the issue of
religion and immediately we heard of it, we swung
into action and we are on it because issues of
religion are very sensitive.”
Punch