El-Rufai and the Easter holiday controversy

While reactions continue to trail the decision of the Kaduna state government to regulate religious preaching in the state, the governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is now involved in another religion controversy. Why? They say he's trying to deny Christians in public schools the privilege of having a long Easter break like they always get. Now they are convinced he has a vendetta against Christians in the state.

As usual, let us ignore the noise and look at the facts of the matter. What is the true story? Let's go.

Students in Nigeria's public schools usually spend 12 weeks in school for the second term of the school year, usually between January and March ending of every year. Now this year, schools were supposed to resume on January 4. However, some states (and some federal schools) did not resume on that date due to logistics (as an example, read this and this). Kaduna public schools resumed on January 18, partly due to the state government introducing free feeding and school uniforms for all students of the state public schools. The government wanted to make sure the program was rolled out in all public schools at the same time.

Normally, the Easter celebrations usually fall during the second term holiday. So while there are national holidays for Good Friday and Easter Monday for everyone, public school students are usually at home during this period for the school break anyway. However, because Kaduna schools only resumed on January 18, and the school has to spend 12 weeks for the school term, the government says the second term will finish in April as the school calendar will not be altered (see the Governor's facebook post here). Therefore, Easter celebrations will not coincide with school holidays. Of course, the students will still get the Good Friday and Easter Monday holidays but they will have to resume school immediately after to continue their education in line with the school calendar. To every rational person, this is totally sensible and appropriate.

But these days, many Christians have lost their rationality on the altar of religion. Some say the state should cut the second term to just 10 weeks and add the remaining two weeks to the third term. Some don't even care - they just want the second term to end before Easter. They say failure to do this means the State Governor hates Christians and wants to use this to punish them or send them away from the state. They say he has ulterior motives. Blah blah blah.

So people, I ask you, is this not madness? What are we turning Christianity into? Are we losing our minds now? Some people actually want to sacrifice their children's education just because they want them to enjoy a long Easter break.

The most annoying thing is that during school holidays, parents still try to organize holiday coaching classes for their children. Some don't even like seeing their children at home during the day, partly because of the stress and also the additional costs. Don't forget that Kaduna public schools students eat free meals in school o. What sort of people are we?

Which brings me to what I have been saying for some time now: we need to drastically reduce the role of religion in formal engagements. I don't need further evidence that religion in official state matters has done more harm than good to us as a people and as a nation. In any case, it is completely ridiculous that we have to suppress education because of religious prejudice. 

But this is Nigeria. When religion talks, common sense takes flight.

Kaduna religion law and the typical Nigerian reaction

So Kaduna state is planning a law that seeks to regulate how religious preaching (both Islamic and Christian) is done on the streets of Kaduna, both in terms of content and noise level. Kaduna is of course a state with a long history of religious clashes. The bill is still with the state House of Assembly for consideration.

As expected, religious bodies are not happy and are planning a showdown with the government.

Look, I know people are naturally not happy, especially since we have elevated religion over common sense. I am aware that some messages are being circulated among Men of God to instigate public retribution on the state government. But instead of threatening violence and death on the state Governor (as at least one Pastor has done, stupidly), there are move civil ways of doing it.

One, religious bodies should use their influence to lobby the Kaduna State house of assembly not to pass the law, or at least have sections they’re not happy with expunged from the bill. The Lawmakers are Muslims and Christians and I am sure will be willing to hear everyone's opinion. They can also be made to hold public hearings on this.

The second option, if the bill is eventually passed in a form the religious organizations are not happy with, is  to approach the court of law to contest the law.

These are some of the options available in a democracy, and the ways things are done in any sane society. Our religious leaders should not descend so low as to instigate violence against a government or pray for calamity on a Governor because of a law that actually has a lot of merits, if you try to see things beyond your ultra-religious prism. But Nigeria, like I always say, is not governed by the Bible or the Quran. Religion should not be used as an excuse to promote unlawful behavior.