Sultan to FG: Don’t replace Islamic/ Christian studies with religion/natural studies in JSS
By; Bayo Akamo, Ibadan.
Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA) Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III has advised the Federal Government to forget about the proposed replacement of Islamic and Christian studies with religion and natural studies in junior secondary schools.
The Sultan gave the advice in an address read on his behalf by the Secretary-General of the NSCIA , Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, at the installation and turbaning of the new Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta States, Alhaji Dawud Akinola, in Ibadan.
According to the Sultan, rather than replacing it, FG should look for ways of further strengthening the studies of the two religions as they served as one of the surest ways to promote the ebbing moral rectitude in the pupils.
“I want to advise the Federal Government to shelve the proposed introduction of religion and natural studies in junior secondary schools in place of Islamic and Christian religion studies. We need to continue to teach our children religion. “The unrest we are witnessing today can be blamed on lack of good morals and proper upbringing of the youths. We should continue to teach Islamic and Christian studies from primary school to secondary school to shape the future lifestyle of these children,” he said.
The Sultan while expressing concern over the religious disturbances, militancy and immoral acts among the youth in the country however blamed them on lack of parental care and poor upbringing.
Speaking at the programme, Governor Abiola Ajimobi urged Muslims to unite and collaborate on programmes and projects that would promote the religion, saying, “we should begin to take steps that will propagate Islam. Islamic organisations need to up the ante by ensuring that they use every opportunity to promote Islam. This is one way of winning more souls for Islam.
“Arabic teachers should device means of boosting the enrollment figures in Arabic schools. On this, I will advise that Arabic teachers minimize corporate punishments, which discouraged some of us from attending such schools when we were young.”
