Officials in an accredited centre of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) in Lagos reportedly asked a female Muslim student to remove her hijab before she could be allowed to write her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
Recall that JAMB commenced the 2024 UTME on Friday, April 19, 2024 and it’s expected to end on April 29, 2024.
The female candidate, Aisha Tiamiyu narrating her ordeal said the official of Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus-Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos denied her entry, insisting that the use of a hijab wasn’t allowed on the premises.
The candidate knowing that the issue would be dragged to the extent that she might miss the exam obliged and removed her hijab before she was permitted to carry out the exercise.
According to her, “On getting to the centre, the man at the gate asked me to remove my hijab and because I insisted I wasn’t going to do that, I was delayed outside. A woman yelled at me from one of the offices, saying that hijab was not allowed.
“When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I was helpless because time was running very fast. I removed my hijab, so I was allowed to go into the exam hall. However, a man told me to use my hijab thirty minutes into the exam.”
The incident has sparked outrage across Nigeria, with many saying it infringes on her fundamental human rights and calling on the authorities to sanction centre.
Meanwhile, JAMB has disclosed that it is investigating a case in Lagos where a candidate donning hijab was asked to remove her head cover during the accreditation process before being allowed into the examination hall.
The Board in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dr. Fabian Banjamin stated that the incident which happened at the Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, was regrettable and not linked to any of the Board’s examination guidelines.
“The attention of the Board was drawn to an unfortunate incident at the Bafuto Institute, Ile-Iwe Bus Stop, Ejigbo, Lagos, where it was reported by Muslim News of Sunday, 21st April, 2024, and other platforms, that a candidate donning hijab was asked to remove her headcover during the accreditation process before being allowed into the examination hall.
“The Board deeply regretted the incident and, on investigation discovered, that this particular incident or others in the past, is not linked to any of its examination guidelines but rather a product of the misplaced priority of some of the Board’s accredited partners or officials who claimed ignorance of the Board’s guidelines on accreditation, which ensures that all candidates are screened allowing only female officials to screen female candidates before allowing them to gain entrance into the hall,” he said.
Benjamin noted however that the situation was instantly addressed by a senior official of the Board at the centre and the candidate in question allowed in after the usual checks with her hijab.
