Obasanjo Lauds Aregbesola Over Hijab Crisis

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has described Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, as an harbinger of religious tolerance.


Obasanjo made this remark while speaking as the Chairman of the occasion at the handing over ceremony of a multi-purpose hall and a library donated by Senator Yinka Omilani to Ode-Omu community to mark his 80th birthday.

The former President while commending Aregbesola for being neutral in religious matters, said his wisdom in managing the hijab problem in the state is akin to the wisdom displayed by King Solomon in the Bible. The former president said the religious unrest that greeted the court’s ruling permitting the use of female head scarf “hijab” in Osun public schools is one good example.

Obasanjo, who was represented by Gbaabile of Egbaland, Dr. Femi Majekodunmi, said the statement from the Governor confirmed his neutrality in the conflict over the use of hijab by female Muslim students in public schools in the state. He said: “He (Obasanjo) is in China now.

He said the governor (Aregbesola) said something which confirmed his neutrality in the matter; that words went a long way in dousing the tension which recently heightened in the state.” Obasanjo described Senator Omilani, a former Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the South West, as a great philanthropist, noting that his contribution to his community, Osun State and Nigeria at large can never be overlooked.

He urged the community to make good use of the facilities which he described as a significant legacy. In his speech, the occasion’s guest of honour, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, reaffirmed his administration’s determination to provide infrastructural facilities in nooks and crannies of the state regardless of the current economic situation. He announced that the ongoing construction of Gbongan/Ode-Omu dualcarriageway will be completed before the end of this year.

The Governor attributed the slow-pace of work at various construction sites and projects by his administration to the decline in the revenue accruing to the state, assuring that all the ongoing projects in the state will be completed before the end of his tenure. He said, “It is unfortunate that we found ourselves in this economic condition in spite of the numerous nature of our resources.”