3/6/2025 Nigeria (Global Christian Tell) — The recent directive by the governments of Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, and Kebbi states in Northern Nigeria to shut all colleges — public and non-public — for up to 5 weeks within the course of the Ramadan like a flash has ignited solid reactions from the Christian Affiliation of Nigeria (CAN) and the Middle Belt Forum (MBF).
The groups argue that the closures, which believe an impact on hundreds of hundreds of students, pose serious threats to training, fairness, and nationwide solidarity. CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh condemned the sweeping college closures as excessive and discriminatory, warning that they would possibly per chance well per chance deepen the serious training disaster in northern Nigeria.
“Whereas we honor the spiritual diversity of our nation and undercover agent the significance of faith, these decisions elevate serious considerations with equity, academic continuity, and the welfare of all voters, in spite of their spiritual beliefs,” Okoh stated.
CAN identified that the affected states already endure alarmingly high charges of out-of-college youth, with Bauchi recording 54%, Kebbi 45%, Katsina 38%, and Kano 35%, per the Nationwide Bureau of Statistics. The prolonged college closures, CAN argued, will most efficient irritate the pronounce of affairs.
“Even in deeply Islamic worldwide locations love Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, colleges remain start within the course of Ramadan with adjusted schedules,” Okoh stated. “If these Islamic heartlands can take care of this balance, why can also merely unruffled Nigerian states adopt excessive measures?”
CAN known as on Governors Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Dikko Umar Radda (Katsina), Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), and Nasir Idris (Kebbi) to believe interplay in inclusive consultations with spiritual groups, educators, and fogeys to reassess their policies.
The commentary warned that if dialogue fails, CAN “is inviting to peek authorized recourse to safeguard the constitutional rights to training and freedom of judgment of valid and wrong.” The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) went additional, decrying the transfer as a unprejudiced valid indication that some northern states are prioritizing Sharia policies over nationwide secular principles.
“It is deeply unjust that non-Muslim (Christian) students can also merely unruffled endure fundamental setbacks in their training merely because Muslims prefer to fulfill their spiritual duties,” stated Luka Binniyat, MBF’s nationwide spokesman. “Whereas these students remain at dwelling, their counterparts in other ingredients of the nation will continue attending classes and making ready for nationwide examinations.
“The the rest of Nigeria mustn’t rob this directive lightly. These Sharia states are gradually distancing themselves from Nigeria’s secular framework.”
The forum urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and stop the affected states from imposing spiritual-primarily based policies that undermine nationwide solidarity.
“Our region already faces serious setbacks in training due to insecurity,” stated the Rev. John Joseph Hayab, chairman of CAN Northern Nigeria. “This faculty closure is now not most efficient badly timed, but it additional weakens our youth’s potentialities.”
The commentary identified the harmful enact on students making ready for serious assessments love the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination and Junior Secondary College examinations (JSCE).
“No examination in Nigeria is regional. Closing colleges in some northern states will most efficient widen the training gap and push our youth additional down the ladder of academic success,” Hayab stated. “We now believe got consulted prominent Islamic students, and they confirmed that this directive is now not per Islamic teachings but on political expediency.”
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