Christian and Islamic leaders yesterday rejected the ban imposed by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, on morning devotion in primary and secondary schools throughout the federation.
The Police High Command had, through the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Operations), sent a signal to the state commands, advising them to direct their respective state commissioners of education to suspend assembly devotion in all public and private schools.
The order was in response to “credible terrorist threat specifically to such gatherings.”
In a reaction yesterday, General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Musa Asake, said the IG’s order was unacceptable.
“We have just forwarded a press statement on our position. It should be out today or tomorrow. We don’t agree with that. What reason is he giving for stopping prayers in schools? That is wrong.”
Asake pointed out that anybody tampering with religion would have to face God and not human beings.
“In all that is happening, l don’t know why they are facing Christianity.
“It is wrong; it is unacceptable. Some people said the order was given because of Boko Haram. That is very unfortunate. If they know Boko Haram is attacking some places, let them control it that way. They should not come and disrupt people praying to their God because of Boko Haram. Is Boko Haram all over.
“Anybody stopping praying in schools, that officer is wrong.
He shouldn’t even try it because we are not accepting it,” the CAN official added.
Responding to enquires, Aliyu pointed out that the assembly devotion usually comes before or after the national anthem and pledge.
“Does it mean that only the prayer aspect of the assembly should be stopped or the whole assembly, including the recitation of the national pledge and singing of the national anthem?” he asked.
The JNI official further wondered whether the threat of insurgents’ attack was limited to school assembly grounds where such prayers are said.
“What happens when the pupils or students are in the classrooms where an attack on them will be more devastating?” he further wondered. According to him, Nigeria needs all the prayers that it can get at this critical moment, adding that the police should not stop people from praying from God’s protection.
He advised the police to do a more proper analysis of the security threat and take steps to protect the citizenry instead of issuing vague and confusing orders.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the nation’s education sector especially teachers and parents directly involved in primary and secondary education, are currently appraising the IG’s order.
This is even as the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, the umbrella body for all school principals across the federation, said it had yet to be notified of the order by either the police or the Federal Government.
ANCOPSS National President, Dr. Fatimah Binta Abdulrahman, in an interview, denied knowledge of such a directive.
She asked for more time to find out the real situation. Abdulrahman, who said she was in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a conference, stated that she would find out the real situation and respond appropriately.
However, as at the time of filing this report, she had yet to make a categorical statement on the matter. The leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers said a meeting would hold today (Sunday) to appraise the situation.
The union’s President, Comrade Michael Olukoya-Alogba, yesterday said “because a tree does not make a forest, the body will be meeting on Sunday, and by noon we should be able to have a categorical position.”
But in its reaction to the development, the leadership of the Parents’ Teachers’ Association said the most important thing was the safety of the pupils, and that it would support whatever measure is taken to prevent calamity.
The Southwest Coordinator of the body, Olusoji Adams, said it had initially planned to oppose the idea when it was first mooted in Lagos about three weeks but had to reconsider the position when it found out that morning devotion could still be held in classrooms.
He said; “We had planned to oppose it in Lagos when the idea was mooted but we later found out it could only be temporary. And since we are only interested in the safety of our pupils, whatever measure taken to safeguard lives and property will be supported by us pending the time the country will be free from the menace of insurgency.”
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