The University of Ibadan International School Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA), Friday morning set up a six-man legal committee to advise the PTA on the steps and decisions to take on the case instituted by some Muslim parents against the school and the University of Ibadan and two others.
The legal committee, which consists of parents, mainly lawyers was formed during an emergency meeting of the PTA that lasted for over one hour which took place at the school cafeteria.
DAILY POST recalls that some Muslim parents who insisted that the use of Hijab was a fundamental human right of their female children had on Monday instituted a court in the suit number M/706/2018 at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan against the Principal of the school, Mrs. Phebean Olowe, the school management, the University of Ibadan and the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the school, Professor Yinka Aderinto who is also the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan.
Our correspondent gathered that the committee was given the mandate to advise the PTA and recommend either to join in the suit as an interested party or not to join.
The committee, which comprised two female parents and four male included Barrister Segun Oke, Barrister Olalekan Sanni and his wife and three others. The PTA Chairman, Barrister Kazeem Olaniyan it was gathered was also part of the committee.
Some of the parents who spoke with our correspondent at the premises of the school on Friday declined to comment on the outcome of the meeting claiming that the case was still in court and don’t wan to comment.
One of them said “Me, yes, I was at the meeting but I don’t know what they discussed”.
However, a parent who bagged not to be named said that a six man-commitee was set up but the meeting could not agree on a particular decision to take.
He said “Today, we met; we started around 10:30 a.m. and ended quarter to 12. But, several issues were unresolved. A committee to advice the PTA was constituted. The committee was to advice on the decision to take either to join as an interested or not to join. But, we are now asking if we are to join, on what capacity, are we supporting the use of Hijab or against it”.
Another parent said, “A six-man committee was set up today. They are to advice on the decision to take and recommend but the final design lies on us. There is one Barrister Segun Oke, Barrister Sanni and his wife who is also a lawyer and three other people. The PTA Chairman, Kazeem Olaniyan of course is also a member. The committee is to advice if PTA is to join. But, we are saying, are they going to spend our money or not. Some of us said that they should not spend our money.
“Some of us said they cannot use our money if we are to join in the suit as an interested party. Another female made a valid suggestion that if we are to join, people should join as an individual and not on behalf of PTA because the parents that are clamouring for the use of Hijab are not using the PTA money, so we said they should not use PTA money if PTA is to join. Since all of us are members of PTA, the Muslims, Christians and others, so they cannot use our own money because it is our money, they cannot use our money to prosecute the case.
“So, the meeting ended abruptly because we could not agree on many things. The time to report was not given to the committee. As you know that the case is coming up on Friday 21st December for mention. They failed to mention the time the committee will get back to us. The PTA Chairman is a member and he said about six other people he knows will also join a members of the committee. Are they going to join, on what capacity, either for or against the use of Hijab. We could not agree on either to join or not before a motion for adjournment was moved.
“You know this is an emergency meeting, we cannot say that this is the next time we are going to have another meeting. You know that the last meeting was an emergency meeting and this one too is an emergency meeting.”
The PTA Chairman, Barrister Olaniyan, when called on phone, told DAILY POST that he was in a meeting and that our reporter should send him a text message.
Olaniyan, however, in a reply to the SMS sent to him by DAILY POST to know the details of the outcome of the meeting, said that he could not discuss the outcome of the meeting in detail.
The PTA Chairman in his response said “We only gave the information on the court case against the school. We could not discuss any details for subjudice.”
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