Education Minister surprised Christian leaders acting on abstract, says he gains nothing imposing IRK on Christian students

*What will I gain imposing a religion on students who don’t believe in it? Minister, Adamu Adamu asks

*Latest curriculum was adopted in 2012 under Jonathan, CAN was part of it – NERDC’s Kate Nwufor

The respondent added that, “If compulsorily choosing between French Language and Arabic Language as academic study is what the policy, according to the Christian leaders, has done, where is it imposition of Islamic religion on Christian students?  Many Christians who live in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait today, what language do they speak?  English, Yoruba? Oh! these Christian leaders are making some of us sick and tired!  Okay, are they now saying that we should now begin to believe that imposition of English Language on Muslim students of Nigeria by Christian Missionary which existed till today is Christianisation of Nigeria through the school system?  These are just people full of charades,” he said.

Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, has expressed surprise over why respected Christian leaders in the country chose to make issues out of nothing over the new school curriculum.  He said the school curriculum they were talking about was the making of the former President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and not of the sitting President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Christian leaders in an explosive report published in certain print medium speaking harshly had threatened that imposition of Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) on Christian students would set the country on fire.

The General Overseers of the  Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Living Faith Church (Winners),  Bishop David Oyedepo, Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi among others, were on Sunday loud in the news ordering Christian students across the country to boycott Arabic Studies amid reports that the subject was made compulsory.

Also present at the meeting were Rev. (Dr.) Mercy Ezekiel, the National Coordinator of Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM), Pastor Wale Oke and the General Overseer of the Thronegrace Mission, Pastor Emmanuel Nuhu Kure.

They also called for immediate reversal of the revised Basic Education Curriculum, especially the collapse of Christian Religious Studies (CRS) as part of an omnibus subject known as Religion and National Values, and maintained that CRS should stand on its own as a separate subject just as it has always been.

According to Vanguard, they criticised the move to impose Arabic Studies on every secondary school student in the country, stating that the Federal Government has no right to force any Nigerian student at any level to study Arabic Studies.

They said that the proviso in the revised curriculum that every student must take either French or Arabic Studies compulsorily in a country where French teachers are scarce was an attempt to impose Arabic Studies on Christian students.

The Christian leaders did not however ask Christian students in the country to boycott French and English studies being that they too are languages of some foreign nations of the world being taught here in Nigerian schools as compulsory subjects particularly English.  This sentimental disposition on the part of one religious group is causing disaffection among Nigerian people especially Muslims who continue to see the Christian leaders likes Pastor Adeboye and Oyedepo as being deliberately mischievous out mainly to ensure that anything with resemblance or connection to Islam must continue to be pulled down in Nigeria.

But the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, in a telephone chat with The DEFENDER on Sunday wondered what those behind the “unnecessary” controversy trailing a policy that was the brainchild of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration planned to achieve by trying to heat up the polity on unfounded claim of Islamisation through school system.

He said, “What do I gain from forcing a religious study on students who do not believe in that religion?  I think these religious leaders and journalists who write their stories should verify their facts before they bring it to public hearing.

“The Redeem church leader is close to the Acting President.  Why did he not find out from him before having to ask students to boycott IRK, whereas there is nowhere Christian students are forced to be taught IRK in the curriculum?

“This policy was not our regime’s making.  It was the making of Jonathan regime.  There is a council that is in charge of this thing and whoever is lover of truth should go there and find out.  To me, I just think that people are just making noise about this thing because they want to cause trouble,” the minister, who was not inclined to talk on the issue, said.

A respondent, in his own reaction, also viewed the Christian leaders-manufactured controversy hatched few weeks ago by Omega Church’s Apostle Johnson Suleman and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), as mere attempt by some religious leaders to prove that they were not part of the move by the Federal Government to engender peace, harmony and mutual understanding among people of various ethnic and religious backgrounds in the country.

He said, “It is just like the IPOB and MASSOB, who refused to queue behind the peace moves by the Federal Government, the Christian leaders appear unconcerned by the warnings that the government had repeatedly issued against hate speeches and inflammatory statements by ethnic and religious leaders in the country as they continued to team up making smokes without fire over imposition of Islamic knowledge on Christian students in the country, which the government has insisted does not exist.  You said the government wants to Islamise Nigeria through school system, they said it is not true, yet you cannot prove the government wrong for dismissing your claim.  What else do you want?” He asked.

He added that, “If compulsorily choosing between French Language and Arabic Language as academic study is what the policy, according to the Christian leaders, has done, where is it imposition of Islamic religion on Christian students?  Many Christians who live in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait today, what language do they speak?  English, Yoruba? Oh! these Christian leaders are making some of us sick and tired!  Okay, are they now saying that we should now begin to believe that imposition of English Language on Muslim students of Nigeria by Christian Missionary which existed till today is Christianisation of Nigeria through the school system?  These are just people full of charades.

“One is just provoked but won’t be insensible with the way these supposed religious leaders behave sometimes.  Sultan of Sokoto is the leader of Muslims in Nigeria.  He has repeatedly calmed you down to rest your minds that it is not possible for anybody to Islamise Nigeria just like it is not possible for anybody to christianise Nigeria.  But you will never believe.  If as you religious leader you don’t believe in simple truth, how would members of your congregations not have problem believing in same?” He asked.

The current claim is that attempt to make “Christian students” choose between French Language and Arabic Language studies is to Islamise Nigeria through the school system.  It is however a new device from the earlier claim hatched by Apostle Johnson Suleman of Omega Church and leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) who had claimed that Christian Religious Studies (CRS), specifically, had been dropped from the latest curriculum, leaving only Islamic studies.

CAN’s President Samson Ayokunle specifically said, “If you look at the curriculum, you will see that the religious subjects were removed for unknown reasons.”

But when the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) charged with the responsibility of curriculum and other matters laid the facts bare for members of the public to see the truth the Christian leaders were hiding, the new development now became that of making “Christian students” choose between French and Arabic languages is to Islamise Nigeria through school system.  They did not tell their listeners whether English known to be language of the Christian missionary that is without option for all Nigerian students including Muslims is not Christianisation attempt.

It would be recalled that in its reaction to Apostle Suleman and CAN’s alarm few weeks ago, over alleged removal of key religious subjects from the country’s education curriculum, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) through its acting Executive Secretary Mrs Kate Nwufo, had denied claims that Christian Religious Studies and Islamic Studies had been removed from the curriculum, or were now studied as a single subject.

NERDC said, “We have developed a curriculum on Religion and National Values to expose pupils to see relationship between moral values – which entails religion, social values – and civic values,” Mrs Nwufo said.

She said the NERDC developed the curriculum in partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission.

Mrs Nwufo strongly denied the allegations and said the Christian leaders were dissipating their energy on unfounded claims.

“People especially leaders should be careful of the information peddle around and take their time to make findings,” Mrs. Nwufo said.

“We live in a sensitive society therefore we should come together and not destabilise the country as it will affect everybody, we should avoid escalating issues.”

New curriculum

Copies of the curriculum she gave to an online medium (not The DEFENDER) showed that Christian Religious Studies remains part of the curriculum along with Islamic Studies.

The curriculum was designed for Basic Education; Primary 1-3, 4-6 and JSS 1-3 and merely created an omnibus subject head called Religion and National Values. Under it are the following subjects: 1. Civic Education 2. Social Studies 3. Christian Religious Knowledge 4. Islamic Studies, and 5. Security Education.

The latest curriculum was adopted in 2012 under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and is not due for review until 2019, the acting executive secretary said.

Mrs Nwufo said “teachers across the country have been adequately trained” on how to use the curriculum.

“A teachers’ guide was also handed to them.” she added

She further stated that even then, religious subjects were never directed to be taught together, they are to be taught by different teachers and at different times.

She said CAN was part of the committee that designed the latest curriculum alongside other Islamic leaders.

“We wrote to CAN and they presented two candidates to us in persons of Ray Chukwura of ECWA Goodnews and Dominick Oleagbe from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria,” she claimed.