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| Human rights lawyer, Malcolm Omihrhobo |
Malcolm Omihrhobo, a human rights lawyer, has said that Supreme Court will reverse judgement that allow Muslim students to wear hijab to school.
Omihrhobo stated this in an interview with TheCable on Tuesday.
Recall that the supreme Court had affirmed the rights of Muslim female students in Lagos state to wear hijab to school, a judgement that raised religious dust across the country.
Reacting to the decision of the Supreme Court, the human rights lawyer caused a stir by dressing as a traditionalist while appearing in court.
But when asked what will happen if the supreme court does not overturn its decision he responded saying:
"They will reverse it. We are just starting; we will follow it up. We have a long way to go. We’ll still take this case to the supreme court in one way or the other. Maybe not directly reverse, but there will be a decision that will kind of overshadow this one. There is something they call locus standi.
"In law, before you bring a case to the court, you must have sufficient interest. So, most times, especially when it’s public interest cases, when you bring it, they will throw it away and say you don’t have locus standi and that you’re just an individual.
"But gradually, we started moving away from it, thanks to Gani Fawehinmi who pursued it to the extent where the court now said an individual, as long as you can prove that you have sufficient interest in a case or a matter, you can be heard.
That case where they say you can’t be heard is that of Abraham Adesanya vs federal government. When some people cite this, the court would say it has advanced beyond that, that the case you should be citing is Fawehinmi vs federal government.
"So, it will come to a time when you’re citing this last case that gave judgment on the hijab, they will tell you that it’s an old decision. That is the way the court reverses itself — by a more recent decision.
"Another way is that if the leaders are sincere, they can sit on the issue of the hijab and inform the house of assembly to pass a law that nobody will wear religious attire to the place of work. Once they pass that law, it becomes a statute.
When asked if he is ready to wear his traditionalist regalia till either of the two scenarios plays out he said:
"It depends on the leading of the spirit. Olokun is a dynamic spirit. I consult before I leave the house. Someday, it will tell me to put the spiritual eye on and wear my beads and to make sure that my legs are touching the ground because that will save my life.