Recently, some states in the northern parts of Nigeria closed schools for Ramadan fast. Actually, there is nothing wrong with that especially when you consider that we are doing it to honour our Maker, who gave us the privilege to be alive in the first place.

Secondly, when you consider the so many evils being perpetrated in our society today, there is need for people to get closer to God and encourage others to do the same.

However, we have to be considerate and mindful of others’ conveniences when taking decisions. Even our Maker will not like us to inconvenient anybody to please Him because He said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Our leaders should consider that it is not only northern and moslems that are residing or going to school in the north, we also have Christians and other faiths. Likewise, we also have moslems in the southern parts of the country and it won’t be nice for them to close schools when they are also fasting.

Coincidentally or as God may have it,
both the Christians and Muslims are presently fasting for Easter (forty days) and Ramadan (thirty days). If both faith close schools simultaneously for one month and some weeks, it will definitely affect the education of our children.

What about some places of worship that have schools? Recently some churches declared 21 days fast in January, while some did for 30 days, and as we speak a church is still participating in 100 days fast, if they decide to close their schools (Nursery, Primary, Secondary and Universities), that means the children and teenagers will stay at home for three months and some weeks.

This definitely will affect the school calendar and you know the implication of the idle minds, of course it is the devil’s workshop. Before we know what is happening, some of them will start indulging in illicit activities.

We agree with the Minister of Education that there is no place in the world where schools are closed for Ramadan fast including Saudi Arabia but the leaders in the northern states have their reasons.

However, we are pleading that whatever decision we are taking, it is not for us alone but for our children and the generation after us. Even as we are serving God, it is for our children and next generation likewise the education we are giving them hence let’s not be in a hurry but be considerate and thread softly when taking decisions.