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 The 10 grant-aided schools in Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, are to remain shut pending announcement of the state government’s position on the use of the Muslim head covering (hijab) in the schools. “This is to avert any breakdown of law and order while the government concludes consultations with relevant stakeholders. Members of the public are urged to remain calm and peaceful. Official pronouncement of government’s position is likely this week,” according to a statement by the Secretary to the Kwara State Government Prof. Mamma Saba Jibril. “The government urges parents, officials and authorities at the affected schools to maintain peace and avoid making comments or doing anything that could cause further misunderstanding and heat up the polity.” 

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Longlisted for CBC’s Nonfiction Prize, 2019 A man once glanced down at my friend’s little girls and he said, “So beautiful! Will they have to cover up like you when they’re older? Such a shame.” My friend glared at the man and said, “Of course” and guided her children away from the sympathetic shake of his head.  A little girl at the park came up to me and asked, “Do you get hot in that thing?” referring to my headscarf and I smiled because I had caught her staring earlier and I said, “No, not really!” And she just nodded and looked some more so I added, “It’s a light material, see? Very breezy” and I guess she was relieved because she nodded again and smiled and skipped back to her friends. After that I used the end of my scarf to wipe my sweaty forehead because damn, did I get hot in this thing.  The interviewer at the internship I was applying to looked me up and down, nodded towards me and said, “We love to have people from all types of backgrounds. It’s good to see diversity in the workplace,” ultimately telling me that I was hired because I was different and so when I sat at my desk a week later with the other interns I wondered what I was doing sitting there with qualified hires with more experience than me. A lanky boy with clunky glasses at a summer camp I volunteered at argued with a chubby-cheeked kid and said, “No, my dad says that not all Muslims are terrorists!” and the cheeky boy replied, “Well my mom said they are” and then they both turned to me and asked, “Excuse me, are all Muslims terrorists?” as politely as you please and I hesitated as I looked for the words to speak on behalf of a nation and I said, “No, not all Muslims are terrorists. There are good people and bad people in the world. Sometimes they happen to have a certain religion.” The chubby kid nodded convinced and the skinny boy pushed up his glasses and said, “Told you,” and they went back to their table and took out their lunch while I held back a laugh that bubbled over my sadness because if only people worked more like children. The white haired man throwing disapproving glances from the other side of the bus scowled when I reached too late for the yellow line that signalled a stop. The bus jerked and I nearly tripped and he spewed curse words under his breath. And as I thanked the bus driver and stepped out into the snow, my chest tightened in anger and fear as I wondered if those words were directed at me specifically or if they were the mutters of a grumpy old man who lost his trust in a world so different than the one he knew. A fellow traveller waiting in line to wash dishes at a campsite in Vancouver grinned at me and asked, “Where you from?” and I replied, “Toronto.” She paused for a moment, hesitance playing on her parted lips and I knew what was coming next. “But what’s your background?” she asked and I sighed and recited the words I had memorized for these moments when I was asked to repeat my family’s history claiming my right to be here. And then without feeling the need to do the same, the lady with her arms full of dishes smiled, nodded and turned on the tap in the sink. My reflection stared back at me in the mirror as I leaned against the counter in the women’s restroom, exhausted and perplexed. She stared with red rimmed eyes as I unwrapped my scarf and let it slide off my head, my matted hair let loose. The girl in the mirror said to me, “What if you walked out, just like that?” and I glanced at the door and back at the mirror and I thought how easy would it be with the weight lifted of my shoulders, to walk in a crowd blended in, to be looked at in a way completely opposite of how I was usually noticed? I ran a hand through my hair and my arms trembled and inside I was so tired, so tired. And the girl in the mirror looked at me, taunting, “It would be so easy, so easy.” Then I stood up straight and I opened my mouth and I s

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There are fillers that the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Kwara state chapter may stage a protest should the pronouncement of the government regarding the controversy surrounding the wearing of head cover popularly known as hijab by female students in Christian owned mission schools in the state is not favourable to her. Report has it that the state government will be taking a position regarding the controversial issue any moment from now. The matter had during the week caused uproar within Ilorin metropolis. This medium gathered that a meeting was held by some notable Christian leaders in the state today (Sunday) to discuss the next step to take should government decision over the matter do not favour them. An unconfirmed report said the meeting tagged ‘Special Urgent Prayer Meeting’ came up at a popular church located at Muritala Muhammed road in Ilorin. The meeting was said to witnessed large turnout of believers and resolutions taken at the meeting. The Christian body is said to be demanding for two things; the return of their schools to the original owners and a ban on usage of hijab in mission schools. Amidst the controversy, this medium reliably gathered that series of meetings has been held by the Christian body and the government since Wednesday, but as we speak no agreement was reached between the parties. Against any changes, the state government is expected to make a pronouncement by tomorrow (Monday), should the government decision goes against CAN wish they may likely resolve to a protest by Tuesday.

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