Osinbajo, Education Minister sued over alleged removal of CRS from school curriculum

The Incorporated Trustees of Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International has dragged the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu and the Federal Ministry of Education before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged removal of Christian Religious Studies (CRS), from the academic curriculum of studies for Nigerian schools.

The group, in an Originating Summons, wants the court to determine whether or not the removal of CRS as a separate subject from the academic curriculum of studies for Nigerian schools amounts to breach of rights of Christian children/students to freely acquire sound christian education in line with the constitutionally guaranteed right of freedom of conscience and religion and belief.

Other issues, the group wants the court to make declaration on include, “Whether or not the removal of CRS as a separate subject from the academic curriculum of studies for Nigerian schools is an act capable to cause religious and ethnic conflict in Nigeria.

“Whether or not the new education curriculum which introduced Islamic Arabic Studies (IRS) and French Studies as two optional subjects and mandating that one of the subjects must be taken by every student, does not amount to indirect, systematic and clandestine compulsion on Christian students to take up Islamic Studies in the event of non-availability of a French teacher, contrary to their religious belief and therefore tantamount to systematic Islamisation of Nigeria in view of section 10 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Whether or not the Minister of Education has the power to remove CRS as independent academic subject in Nigerian schools and “Whether or not the inclusion of Islamic Religious Knowledge as a separate subject of study in the new education curriculum without corresponding availability of Christian Religious Knowledge, amounts to systematic denial of Christian students the rights to acquire sound Christian Education and good moral values as guaranteed in the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Upon determination of the questions, the plaintiff is praying the court to among other things; declare that the removal of CRS as a separate subject from the academic curriculum of studies for Nigerian schools is an act capable of causing religious and ethnic conflict in the country.

The group also wants the court to declare that the Minister of Education lacked the power to remove CRS as an independent academic study in Nigerian schools and wants, “An order of the court setting aside the controversial and ill-conceived education curriculum that deliberately excluded CRS as a separate course of study in Nigerian schools.”

It wants an order of perpetual injunction restricting the Minister of Education and Federal Ministry of Education from illegally, arbitrarily and unconstitutionally altering, reviewing, amending, varying or in any manner, changing Nigerian primary, secondary or tertiary education curriculum in a manner that will exclude, expunge, erase, remove or in any manner, alter Christian Religious Studies.

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), was also joined as 4th defendant in the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/570/2017.

A date is yet to be fixed for the hearing of the suit as it has not been assigned to any Judge.