Leadnaija
A renowned business guru and former presidential aide, Reno Omokri through his verified page has reacted to the assertion of the former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress(AAC) Omoyele Sowore that stated “if he were President, no Nigerian state could temporarily shut down schools over Ramadan”
Reno Condemned this claim and said that Northern Muslims Are Not “Idiots” he then said that Sowore is uneducated about the Nigerian Constitution, meaning that the school closure which was pronounced by the northern leaders for the sake of Ramadan Fasting have a constitutional backup and nothing the president and the governor can do about it.
Reno Wrote:
Mr. Omoyele Sowore’s claim that if he were President, no Nigerian state could temporarily shut down schools over Ramadan is a clear indication that He is uneducated about the Nigerian Constitution.
Even if he were President, Sowore could do nothing to states that elect to close down schools because, under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, primary and secondary education are constitutionally the preserve of states. It is only a person ignorant of the law who would say that if he were president, states would not do that.
In essence, he is saying that if Nigerians ever elect him as their President, he will ignore the Constitution or act unconstitutionally.
As it stands now, there is nothing the Federal Government or the President can do to states that have chosen to rearrange the school calendar to accommodate the Ramadan fast. It is their constitutional right even if you think it is not right.
And again, Mr. Sowore is most ignorant of Islam in Saudi Arabia for saying, “Saudi Arabia where everybody is headed for lesser Hajj—did they close down their schools? You see, those are ignorant Muslims. Basically, let me put it straight: they are idiots.”
No, Sowore. Nigerian Muslims are neither ignorant or idiots. It is you who is untutored in Islam as it operates in Saudi Arabia. Please fact-check me. The Saudis traditionally close schools during Ramadan. It was part of their official school calendar. This was only changed in 2022 and replaced with a 12-day holiday for Eid, which the population complained about.
When this change caused social tension, the Saudi government announced a review, which granted Saudi regions the right to determine whether or not to stay open during Ramadan. Which is the same thing happening in Nigeria. The choice of school closures during Ramadan has been given constitutionally to the regions (states), like Saudi Arabia.
That is the essence of true federalism. If you are in a core Northern Muslim-dominated state that elects to rearrange the school calendar to accommodate Ramadan fasting temporarily, and you do not like it, then feel free to move to any of the other thirty-one states that do not close down schools.
And where was Sowore when schools in some parts of Nigeria closed down every Monday for a total of fifty-four Mondays in a year? So, in Sowore’s mind, schools can close for sit at homes, but not for a holy period like Ramadan?
Sowore’s present stance, like his plan to legalise marijuana (Igbo) if he is elected President of Nigeria, is proof that he is not mature and needs to be tutored about the Nigerian Constitution.
Finally, it is most unbecoming for anyone, most especially a former Presidential candidate, to use words such as idiot to describe Muslims. If he ascribes such a term to people he seeks to govern, how can he expect their loyalty to his government if he is ever elected?
Nigeria is a fragile country trying to maintain a balance between religions and regions. Thus, people should not open their mouths to say what they do not know and misinform the Nigerian public to cause social tensions and breach the peace in Nigeria.
