Special Apostle Michael Ore Oyeyipo is a leader in the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide in Ilorin, Kwara State. The cleric, who is the chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the C & S College, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin, speaks on the raging school ownership and hijab questions in Kwara State.
What is the position of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church Worldwide on the controversy over the use of hijab in schools in the state?
A bit of historical background will be appropriate here. The C & S College, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin, owned by the C & S Church Worldwide, was established on February 2, 1969 to take care of the educational development of our children. The aims and objectives are to improve the educational standard of the state, to inculcate moral discipline in the students so as to ensure their proper unpbringing, among others.
Since the school was established, the proprietors had put up a lot of buildings on the premises. The buildings include the administrative block, science laboratory, classroom blocks, hostels for students, dining hall and school hall.
A female member of the church, Prophetess Abosede Abimbola, personally donated a building to replace a burnt female hostel in the college. These buildings have been maintained over the years by the authorities of the church. Where then is the maintenance the government of Kwara State has done since 1972 when there was an agreement to grant aid to mission schools by the Colonel David Lasisi Bamigboye administration?
What has been the mode of operation of the school?
Ever since the establishment of the college, the church has been maintaining the school. Individual members and the church erected the structures in the college. This is a pointer to the fact no government presence has been felt in the college. For many years, the government has not erected any structure there.
How do you explain that in respect of the issue of grants by the state government?
It was a collaboration between the state government and the proprietors for the schools to be grant-aided schools. The granting of aid by the government started in 1974, and we need to state that ever since then, the government has had no hand in the maintenance of the college except payment of salary.
On the government aid, it was agreed that the church would be responsible for the appointment of the principal, vice principal, etc, and decide the dress code, i.e., school uniform. The policy has never been total takeover of our schools by the government. It was not a ‘takeover’ as being claimed by the present government of Kwara State under the leadership of Malam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Governor D. L. Bamigboye had said then that: ‘I want to remind the voluntary agencies that they are still the owners of their schools and therefore retain the rights over as well as responsibilities for them. The names of schools remain as given by the proprietors. What we now take over is the staff management in post-primary institutions and not the institutions themselves’.
All the above agreed issues have been the status quo until this administration which wants to deny us our rights by saying that our school is a public school. We say that we will not hand over our school to any government. The church authorities have overseen the affairs of the school over the years. When the classrooms were removed by thunderstorm some years ago and the fence was destroyed by flood, the church management did the repairs. Where then is the government’s 100 per cent maintenance of the school, Cherubim and Seraphim College, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin? Let the government of the day come out with facts and figures and explain how much they have spent on the school in the last few years.
But how do you react to the allegation that you are not being tolerant over the hijab issue?
On religious tolerance, the college authorities have accommodated Muslim students well in the school’s 52 years of existence. Muslim male and female students were allowed to practise their religion without any hindrance. The first headboy of the college, Suleiman Baba, was an Ilorin Emirate indigene. Toyin Ayinla, a foremost Nigerian footballer, was a product of the college. Lateef Okandeji, a one-time chairman of Ilorin East Local Government Area, was a product of the school. None of these former students were religiously marginalised or intimidated. These notable Nigerian Muslims, among others, were never converted or forced to embrace our faith.
We are only vehemently saying no to hijab in our mission schools. The church is demanding that the government give us back our schools to forestall unnecessary trespass capable of leading to breakdown of law and order in the state. We like to reiterate that we have our church on the college compound hence the use of hijab will cause disunity. It suffices to state that the moral values that the church is noted for and which prompted the establishment of the college is seriously being eroded and that has necessitated the desire to take over our college.
What has been the uniform of the school?
We want to say that our college uniform is white blouse and green skirt with beret cap for girls, which our female students, both Muslim and Christian, have used over the years without problem. We will not take anything other than this. If the government of the day feels that they can no longer pay the staff salary or maintain the school, it should be returned to us. C & S College, Sabo-Oke, Ilorin, is our heritage.
We appreciate the efforts of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration in finding an amicable and lasting solution to the issue. But we urge the government to reverse its decision in the interest of peace.
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