The InfoStride Forum

Osun State government has ordered temporary closure of primary and post-primary schools in  Iwo town and its environs, to forestall break-down of peace and order in the area.

This was disclosed by the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Sunday Akere, while briefing journalists in his office last Wednesday.

He disclosed that Osun State residents are known to live together peacefully, irrespective of their religious differences, saying that the state government suspected sabotage in the crisis.

It would be recalled that some Muslim parents in the town had in some weeks past tried to enforce the use of scarf (Hijab) in public schools, a move strongly opposed by Christian parents and teachers in the schools.

According to Akere, the state government has been meeting with the leaders of the two religions in the state with a view to resolving the crisis from graduating into violence.

"The reason behind the temporary closure of schools in the town was due to the decision of some disgruntled element in the town, to go into schools enforcing the illegal decision, when government is still discussing the issue with leaders in the town.

It is our hope that representatives of the two religions would reach a compromise on the matter when we meet them, so that the affected schools could resume as soon as possible", he stated.

However, he added that the crisis in Iwo and its environs is not natural, saying the affected students have been attending the same schools from time imemorial without any problem on their mode of dressing.

He stated that the state government is concerned with the development and would investigate the matter in order to get to its roots and forestall such incident from happening in the future.

According to him, the state government is also appealing to parents and guardians not to allow faceless individuals to use their children as a means of causing crisis in the state, which is known for peaceful co-existence from its creation.

Osun Defender