Dr Adebayo shittu at speaking at Eagle FM 3rd Ramadan Lecture

Former Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu has weighed in on the decision by four northern states—Katsina, Kebbi, Bauchi, and Kano—to shut down schools for Ramadan.

The five-week shutdown, from late February to early April 2025, affects all public and private educational institutions, including nursery, primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

While organizations including the Christian Association of Nigeria amongst other governmental bodies have weighed in on the matter, the government of the states insisted on the closure citing consecration as the prime reason.

Ahmed Idris, Chief Press Secretary to the Kebbi State governor, explained that the decision to close schools was reached following meetings with relevant stakeholders, including CAN representatives and Muslim leaders. He emphasized that the holiday, which will last a maximum of two weeks, was already factored into the academic calendar and would not disrupt school activities.

However, Shittu who spoke exclusively with Eagle FM reporters at Eagle 102.5 FM’s 3rd Ramadan Lecture in Ilese-Ijebu on Tuesday, clarified that Islam does not mandate school closures during the holy month, citing the Quran, which instructs businesses to pause only for Jum’ah prayer and resume afterward.

“Closing schools for Ramadan lacks religious justification and is unnecessary,” he argued.

He questioned the effectiveness of such closures, noting that many students may not spend their time praying as intended. If any adjustment were to be considered, he suggested it should only apply to the last ten days of Ramadan, when some teachers and students might observe I’tikaf (seclusion for worship).

However, shutting down schools for an entire month, he maintained, is irrelevant and unjustified.