Hijab controversy: House of Reps intervene, ask committee to investigate alleged rights violation

The House of Representatives on Tuesday intervened in the raging controversy over the refusal of the Nigerian Law School to call a graduate, Amasa Firdaus, to Bar.

According to Punchng, the House directed its Committees on Justice and Judiciary to investigate the matter and make appropriate recommendations to the floor.

The resolution followed a motion moved by a member from Kano State, Mr. Abubakar Danburam-Nuhu. He had faulted the Law School on the grounds that it infringed on the fundamental rights of Firdaus.

The University of Ilorin graduate was due to be called to the Bar on Wednesday December 12. However, the Law School stopped her after she insisted on wearing the Hijab. On its part, the school insisted she must adorn a wig, the conventional head cover worn by lawyers.

Firdaus had been quoted as saying that she opted to wear the Islamic head scarf to challenge the status quo.

On Tuesday, Danburam-Nuhu, while arguing his motion, told the House that under Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution, Firdaus was entitled to dress the way she liked.

“The section supersedes any provision by any government agency or institution”, he stated. He said the wig or the dress code of lawyers was borrowed from the West, adding that Nigeria must not impose it on its citizens because it came from the West.

Danburam-Nuhu claimed that in the UK and some African countries, including Kenya, graduates were allowed to use the Hijab during graduation or other similar ceremonies.