Nigeria: IRK, CRK Policy Not Meant to Islamize Nigeria - Education Minister

Nigeria's Minister of Education- Malam Adamu Adamu 

Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu has disputed allegation that the ministry is planning to Islamise Nigeria.

Adamu who paid a courtesy visit yesterday to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State, said, "Since the controversy started, I did not say anything about it until today. The ministry is accused and by extension I am accused of picking out Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) from the education curriculum and then imposing Islamic Religious knowledge (IRK) on both Christian and Muslim schools. 

This is not true at all. In 2012, the then Federal Government under Goodluck Jonathan formulated a policy where IRK and CRK were grouped together. The implementation of the policy started since 2014. That was two years after the formulation of the policy and about two years before I became minister of education."

He said at the last National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, he suggested to the council that IRK and CRK should be made core subjects which students of the respective faiths must be made to study.

Tracing the history of the IRK, CRK policy further, the minister said, "If some people still believe that the policy was formulated to Islamize Nigeria, with due respect, the President at the time the policy was formulated was Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister was Nyesom Wike the present governor of Rivers State; the formulator and writer of the policy was Professor Godswill Obioma and Mrs Okwonko who was at the time the policy was implemented the director of basic education in the ministry were all Christians. So, I cannot see how people are accusing the ministry or me of imposing this policy to Islamize Nigeria."

Source: AllAfrica