I have always believed that religion has a way of messing things up. Most times, Its influence is detrimental to the objectives of a worldly society. Although I speak up when religion rears its ugly head, I have also learned to understand that everyone cannot think like me because everyone is not me and since I have always believed that everyone ought to be free to believe in whatever they want to believe in, what then do we do?
I don’t have a problem with you if you decide to wake up every morning to cut a part of your skin off because you think that is what your god asked you to. I don’t have a problem if you worship all the stones in the world and bow down to all the fishes in the river. I don’t have a problem for as long as it doesn’t affect me. For as long as you do not force me to cut my skin with you or bow down to your stones and fishes. For as long as you don’t stand in my way. It’s your problem.
So if a group of girls under the influence of their religion are insisting that they ought to wear hijab or skirts, I don’t see anything wrong with that. I am yet to think of how wearing hijab and skirts will affect those who choose not to. If you know one, let me know.
Now let’s face NYSC.
Nigeria is a country full of contradictions. Our laws are not an exception. Did the NYSC bye-law not prohibit corpers from protesting? Yes it did. Did the constitution permit such ? Yes it did. The last time I checked, when any other law conflicts with the constitution, the constitution takes preeminence. If the NYSC wants a case, I think the girls will win.
That the NYSC is a paramilitary establishment is not enough. Is it not in this country that we see women in police, civil defence and the myriads of backyard paramilitary establishments in Nigeria wearing skirts? Is the NYSC more paramilitary than them? Talk about the drilling and military exercise in camp, NYSC has shot itself on the foot when it clearly stated that those exercises are not compulsory. You can exempt yourself from them and rightly so. If wearing skirts will stop them from participating in military exercises in camp, they gladly will. NYSC cannot force them to do what NYSC said they can’t be forced to do.
What I am even more interested in their productivity at their various places of primary assignment. Will wearing skirts stop them from doing their jobs at their PPA? I doubt. Will it stop them from doing what they are supposed to do in their various Community Development Service groups? I doubt too. If it won’t, why stopping them if that’s what they want? If it doesn’t affect others and their choices in any way, why stopping them if that what they want?
In fact, I commend them for having the courage to protest against what they think is unfair to them even though it violates NYSC rules. I think we need more of people coming to demand for what they think should be given them in a peaceful way even when it is against the rule, even when you know the consequences can be severe. Those girls have got balls. Balls that I wish most Nigerians to grow.
To all those corpers attacking them for not protesting for “better things” like the implementation of the new minimum wage, who stopped them from organizing theirs? If you can’t demonstrate over what affects you, why attacking others for demonstrating over what they feel affects them ? Don’t you see that they are better than you?
People can be outrageous. I have heard people questioning the spirituality of the protesters. “Even with skirt, dem go still dey open leg” but “people wey dey wear trousers and hijab and wrapper and gown plus gele still dey open leg too”. I still think that if they want to sin, they should decide how they want to sin.
That there was a time NYSC allowed skirts is a very strong case too.
” As dem dey talk wetin concern them, make you ma talk wetin concern you. If wetin concern dem no concern you, wetin come dey worry you for their matter ”
We are all slaves to one or more passions, convictions, and beliefs. This is why everyone should be free to at least decide the color and the type of their chains.
The girls have chosen theirs, we all have ours.
Inasmuch as I don’t care whether they wear skirts or trousers, I see nothing wrong with their actions! The Federal Government should grant their prayers
Caleb is a Political Animal and he writes from Enugu State.
Follow him on twitter here twitter.com/caleb_onyeabor