Aregbesola Accused Of Promoting Islamic Agenda, Religious Extremism

Governor Rauf Aregbesola has been accused by the Christian Association of Nigeria of attempting to Islamise Osun State.

This position was made known by the Chairman, Osun chapter of CAN, Superior Evangelist Abraham Aladeseye, and the Secretary, Rev Father Gbenga Ajayi, at a news conference in Osogbo on Monday.

The organisation, among other things, accused the Aregbesola administration of attempting to drive a wedge between religious groups in Osun because the state government had been fixing state functions for Sunday mornings.

CAN added that the government might have changed the name of Osun State from ‘State of the Living Spring’ to ‘State of the Virtuous,’ because “Jesus Christ is referred to as the living spring.”

CAN also faulted the insistence by some state government-backed Islamic fundamentalists, who had been calling for the wearing of hijab in all public schools – including Christian public schools saying that the development had led to increasing restiveness in the state.

Also, the Christian group decried the declaration of a public holiday by the Aregbesola administration, stressing that “not even in Sokoto, the seat of the caliphate, is Hijra declared a public holiday.”

The group said, “Bearing in mind the poor economic status of our state, one simply wonders why the governor chose to demolish the existing buildings in public schools, rather than renovate them as was being done by Ondo State Government.

“If this is not religious extremism, what else can it be, considering the fact that in the 40-year history of the National Youth Service Corps, hijab has not been incorporated into the NYSC uniform?”

But the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the state, Semiu Okanlawon, said the issues raised by CAN “are those that had been resolved long before now and in which all Christian leaders at the various meetings with the governor expressed clear understanding of the positions of the government.”