Bishop David Oyedepo, the founder of Living Faith Church aka Winners’ Chapel has come under criticism again after a video showing how some hijab-wearing Muslim candidates who were to write the mock test of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination were reportedly denied entry for some time at Covenant University in Canaanland.
Oyedepo trended throughout the weekend following the leakage of a telephone conversation he had with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi in which the politician solicited for the support of the clergy and called the polls a ‘religious war’.
Covenant University, which is owned by Oyedepo, is one of the designated centres for the mock examination organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and in the video a voice of a man was heard saying “This is Mr. Olayode Akeem who brought a child for mock examination at covenant university. I was surprised he came here this morning. And all the children with hijab, they are being denied to enter and to write the examination.
“These are the candidates with hijab who are being denied to write the examination. And these are the security men who said they should not… they are acting on the instruction given to them by their head.”
Some female candidates wearing the hijab are seen standing close to the entrance in the video.
“Why are you outside?” the male voice asked one of the female candidates.
“They did not allow us to enter because we wore hijab,” she replied.
“Because of hijab, they did not allow us to enter,” another female candidate said.
“And you too,” the male voice asked a third female candidate wearing the hijab. “They did not allow us to go in because of hijab,” she also said.
“The Muslim girls were delayed for 48 minutes while the examination was going on,” an Islamic group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) said.
The group further said, “In the case of Canaanland, the students who begged for permission to enter were ignored until a parent sent Save Our Soul Message (SOS) to MURIC headquarters which sprang into action by contacting JAMB authorities as well as the Ogun State branch of MURIC. The SOS produced some results and the coordinator of the centre soon came with his car to ferry three hijab-clad girls into the exam hall.
“The number of Muslim girls who wore hijab was actually more than that but about five or six had surrendered by removing their hijab after begging for more than one hour. Those who removed their hijab were allowed to go inside.
“Ogun State chapter of MURIC condemns this coercion, harassment and religious apartheid. We demand action from the JAMB authorities against the host communities, Canaanland and Covenant University. Those who cannot tolerate Muslim girls in hijab should not apply to host public examinations. Canaanland and Covenant have subjected Muslim girls to embarrassment, stigmatization and persecution.”
The video;
VIDEO: How Bishop Oyedepo’s Covenant University Delayed Muslim Candidates In Hijab From Taking Mock Tertiary Matriculation Exam pic.twitter.com/dTsUruj4cC
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) April 3, 2023
