10/07/2026
My Personal Testimony: The Hypocrisy I Lived at Urban Day Grammar School, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
As a Muslim from the South-West, Nigeria. My journey through Nigeria's educational system exposed me to a level of religious hypocrisy that still haunts our society today.
I was a student at Urban Day Grammar School, Mayfair Roundabout, Ondo Road, Ile-Ife. I attended from JSS 1 to JSS 3 before the Ife-Modakeke crisis disrupted our education and forced me to leave. I later completed my secondary education at the School of Science, Ikirun, also in Osun State. But my time at Urban Day Grammar School left an indelible mark on my understanding of religious intolerance in Nigeria.
The Daily Reality of Christian Evangelism
Our school was a government-owned public school. It was funded by taxpayer contributions from the community, Muslims, Christians, and people of other faiths. Yet every single day except Friday, our Christian teachers took it upon themselves to lead the assembly as an evangelical session.
The very same teachers who now argue that "school is not a religious centre" were the ones leading Christian prayers, preaching sermons, and using state resources to promote Christianity. They did not care about the multi religious nature of our public institution. They did not care that the Muslim student population was significant easily 50/50.
I remember it clearly. Morning assemblies became church services. We stood and listened to teachers who transformed the assembly ground into a pulpit, preaching messages we never consented to hear. This was not optional. This was compulsory attendance at a Christian gathering disguised as a school assembly.
The Friday Concession: A Token Gesture
Critics may point to Friday as the day Muslims were allowed to lead prayers. Mr. Belawu, our Mathematics teacher, or one of the Muslim students would lead the Islamic prayer on Fridays. But this was not equality. This was a crumb thrown to silence complaints.
For six days of the week, Muslim students were subjected to Christian indoctrination. For one day, we were given permission to practice our faith quietly. This is not balance. This is oppression dressed in the garb of tolerance.
The Crusade-Style Bible Distribution
The most brazen act of hypocrisy occurred when our teachers invited outside pastors to our school for elaborate Bible distribution events. These were not simple handouts. These were extraordinary church services held on the assembly ground much like Christian crusades.
Pastors from outside the school would be invited to preach, sing, and distribute pocket-sized King James Version Bibles to every single student. They did not ask if we were Muslim. They did not ask if we wanted it. They knew many of us were Muslim they saw us leading Friday prayers. Yet they turned our school assembly into a full-blown revival meeting.
Imagine being a young Muslim child, surrounded by pastors preaching Christianity, forced to receive a Bible you never asked for, in a school that claimed to be secular. Imagine the confusion. Imagine the sense of violation. This was not evangelism. This was religious coercion disguised as benevolence.
And the hypocrisy? The same people who orchestrated these crusades are the ones now telling Muslim students that schools are not for religious expression. The same people who turned our assembly ground into a church are now saying the hijab has no place in schools.
The CRK vs. IRK Scandal
When I was at Urban Day Grammar School, there was no Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) teacher. All of us were forced to study Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK). Muslim students memorised Bible verses, studied Christian doctrines, and wrote examinations on Christianity while our own faith was completely erased from the curriculum.
This was not an oversight. This was systemic religious marginalisation.
It took the intervention of Mr. Belawu, other Muslim teachers, and the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) from Obafemi Awolowo University and area councils to finally bring an IRK teacher to our school. A woman came briefly. But she left soon after. I do not know why. After she left, we had no IRK teacher for the rest of my time at the school.
Meanwhile, CRK continued uninterrupted. Christian teachers ensured their religion was always represented. But they could not be bothered to ensure Muslim students had the same opportunity.
The Ife-Modakeke Crisis and My Departure
The Ife-Modakeke crisis of 1997 cut short my time at Urban Day Grammar School. Our school was at the firing line. I could not complete my secondary education there. I had to leave and later continue at the School of Science, Ikirun, also in Osun State.
But the memories of that discrimination followed me. And years later, I see that nothing has changed. The same hypocrisy that I experienced decades ago continues to shape educational policies in the South-West today.
The Hypocrisy Exposed
This is the standard operating procedure in many Nigerian schools. Christians claim secularism when it suits them. They argue that hijab has no place in schools. Yet they have no problem using public schools as platforms for Christian evangelism.
The same people telling Muslim students to remove their hijabs are the ones who invited outside pastors to conduct crusades on school assembly grounds.
The same people who say schools are not for religious expression are the ones who turned morning assemblies into church services.
The same people who deny IRK teachers are the ones who ensure CRK is always available.
The same people who say the hijab is a religious symbol that does not belong in schools are the ones who distributed Bibles as if they were school supplies.
This is not religious freedom. This is religious domination. This is the belief that Nigeria is a Christian country and Muslims should simply accept their second-class status.
The Constitution is Clear
Despite all this hypocrisy, the Nigerian Constitution stands firm.
Section 38(1) guarantees every person the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion. This includes the right to manifest one's religion in public or private.
Section 10 prohibits the state from adopting any religion. A public school is an arm of the state. It cannot favour Christianity while marginalising Islam.
The hijab is not a threat to secularism. It is a manifestation of religious freedom. If Christian crusades can thrive in public schools, the hijab has every right to exist there as well.
The UI International School Case
The Court of Appeal in Ibadan ruled against hijab use at the University of Ibadan International School. They claimed the school is "private" and students "waived" their rights.
This judgment is legally flawed. It will not stand.
The Supreme Court in Lagos State v. AbdulKareem (2022) already affirmed that religious attire is constitutionally protected. The UI case will be appealed. And Muslims will win. Not through violence. Not through protest. Through the law.
The Hijab Has Come to Stay
Let me be clear. The hijab is here to stay. It is permitted in the United Kingdom, the United States, and across Europe. It is practised in universities, workplaces, and public institutions in Nigeria without incident.
The enemies of religious freedom can fight. They can protest. They can scheme. But they cannot erase what the Constitution guarantees.
We will continue to fight. We will continue to speak. And we will win.
Because the law is on our side. The Constitution is on our side. And history is on our side.
What I Learned
I learned that hypocrisy is not just a political problem. It is a personal one. I lived it. I felt it. I saw teachers who claimed to be righteous use their positions to impose their faith on vulnerable children.
But I also learned that Muslim students are resilient. We prayed on Fridays. We organised through MSSN. We fought for IRK teachers. We refused to accept second-class status.
And today, I am proud to say that we will not stop fighting until every Muslim student in Nigeria can wear their hijab without fear, study their faith without obstruction, and practice their religion without discrimination.
A Call to Action
To every Muslim student who has experienced this hypocrisy: speak up. Share your story. Demand your rights.
To every Nigerian who believes in justice: support the fight against religious discrimination. The hijab ban is not just a Muslim issue. It is a Nigerian issue. It is a human rights issue.
To the Supreme Court: correct this injustice. Uphold the Constitution. Protect religious freedom for all.
