A group of Muslim youths under the aegis of Muslim Youths in Da’wah on Tuesday at the headquarters of the National Youth Service Corps in Abuja made known their displeasure on the ban on the use of hijab by female Muslim corps members in orientation camps across the country. The national coordinator of LMYiD, Luqman Hassan; and the Deputy Coordinator, Kamarudeen Adefila, had told the NYSC Director General, Brig. Gen. Johnson Olawumi, that a major protest by Muslims was averted because of the ban on hijab in most orientation camps.
“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,” he said.
He said muslim organisations had wanted to stage a protest but were awaiting the result of their meeting with the Director General of the scheme. He said a massive protest would spark criticism from differrent quarters hence the meeting.
“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.
