Niger State Government has denied recent reports that said it was against the wearing of hijab by teachers and students in the state.
At a meeting with principals, headmasters, and other critical stakeholders in the education sector last Saturday, the State Commissioner of Education, Hajiya Hadiza, was quoted as saying 'she'sees no reason why a female teacher will wear a hijab and be comfortable with her teaching'.
But the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, Mal. Bologi Ibrahim, said the commissioner's statement was contextual and did not reflect the position of the state government on the use of hijab by women in any field of endeavour.
The CPS disclosed that the commissioner's meeting with the principals, headmasters, and other stakeholders was organised to sensitise them on the strategic plans of the Bago-led administration to boost education as well as the upcoming screening and competency test for teachers in the state.
He said the state government was not, and has never been, against the wearing of hijab, stressing that the commissioner's statement must have been misconstrued.
Mal. Bologi stated that the wearing of hijab was a religious obligation and that the Supreme Court had, in June last year, ruled that the constitution allows Muslim students and, by implications, teachers to wear hijab.
"Niger State is a law-abiding state. Since the Nigerian Constitution allowed Muslim students and teachers to wear the hijab, the state government has the responsibility to ensure that the rights of the citizens are protected," he further stated.
He also confirmed that the commissioner has since disowned the story banning the use of long hijab in public schools, stressing that it was the unfortunate handiwork of mischief makers.
The CPS noted that the commissioner, as a Muslim, was not unaware of the importance of hijab and could not have been an impediment to its use.
He urged Nigerians to disregard the said media report in circulation, stressing that it was just a calculated attempt targeted to discredit the commissioner as an individual and put the government in bad light.