By Sanusi Abdullahi Oyelekan

A notable Islamic human rights advocacy group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on government agencies to emulate JAMB in fairness, promptness, transparency, probity and accountability as officials of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) who harassed an hijab-wearing candidate have been sanctioned by the examination body.

MURIC’s call came in a brief statement circulated on Monday, 22nd April, 2024 by its Founder and Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

According to the statement: “The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has announced that it has sanctioned some overzealous officials of the examination body who harassed an hijab-wearing candidate, Aisha Tiamiyu, on Friday, 19th April, 2024, during this year’s matriculation examination at Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos State.

“Aisha Tiamiyu was asked to remove her hijab and she was not allowed to enter the examination hall because she refused to do so. Officials yelled at her and intimidated her. She caved in after realizing that she had lost a large chunk of the critical starting period.

“But reprieve came her way when JAMB authorities reacted to reports of a newspaper which published her travails at the examination centre on Saturday.

According to the authorities, the officials responsible for the candidate’s torment have been identified and dealt with according to the rules.

“This swift reaction from JAMB is reassuring and we call on all government agencies to emulate JAMB in fairness, promptness, transparency, probity and accountability. Religious violence will become a thing of the past if all parties experience fair treatment and receive swift attention.

“Imagine how peaceful Nigeria will be if all government agencies address public grievances the way JAMB attended to the incident at the examination centre. JAMB acted swiftly and sanctioned the erring officials within 24 hours. It is record-breaking. Justice and equity will fill the land and Nigerians will have a true sense of belonging which, in turn, will boost patriotism across the country if all government agencies do this.

“This incident shows that it is not Nigerian institutions that discriminate against Muslims in the country. It is individuals who have personality crisis as they cannot divulge their personal religious belief from their official jobs. It is non-Muslims who carry their Islamophobia to their workplaces who are responsible for most cases of persecution of Muslims.

“Some have resolved to use their official positions to serve their faith only, to deny Muslims their rights and to subject Muslims who appear before them to horror. Such disposition is often the product of hate sermons. The video clips of sermons of some religious clerics which went viral confirm this.

“MURIC appeals to JAMB to give special and compassionate consideration to the case of the victim in this particular incident. Whereas the officials at the examination centre acted ultra vires by asking her to remove her hijab, the period of stereotyping the candidate ate deeply into the time given for the examination. The poor candidate was not allowed to enter the examination hall and she lost almost thirty minutes in the process.

“This is what Muslim-haters subject Muslim candidates to in examination centres. Precious time is often lost when Muslims try to assert their rights and the oppressors refuse to shift ground. Meanwhile the authorities will only hear about this act of tyranny after the examination is over.

“It is our considered opinion that the scripts of such innocent victims should be set aside somewhere for a second look after the first assessment. Considering the time lost due to no fault of the victim as well as the psychological trauma to which the candidate had been subjected which unsettled him or her and made it impossible to properly situate him or herself in an atmosphere conducive for writing an examination, we appeal to JAMB authorities to give the scripts of such candidates special treatments as deemed necessary.

“We charge religious leaders to preach peace, love, tolerance and forgiveness. We urge Nigerians to develop a sense of justice and fairness. We must learn to give people their rights regardless of their religious leaning. Those who deny people their rights cannot expect to enjoy peace, the former is fundamental, the latter, conditional.”

END.