Almajiri biggest headache confronting Nigeria – Lawmaker
A former lawmaker in the House of Representatives during the Sith Assembly, Hon.Godfrey Ali Gaiya has said that the Almajiri is currently the biggest headache confronting Nigeria.
He went on to say that Nigeria is not sincere with the Almajiri system because instead of confronting the menace, they make it look like religious issue. Yet the truth is that even the wealthy Muslims in the North don’t send their children to do Almajiri.
He lamented further that when the deposed Emir of Kano became critical of the system, he turned an enemy to most Northern establishments.
He said: Honestly, Almajiri is currently the biggest headache confronting the country. We are not just sincere with the Almajiri system because instead of confronting the menace, they make it look like religious issue. Yet the truth is that even the wealthy Muslims in the North don’t send their children to do Almajiri.
It has become like a class system when the poor and downtrodden have their children as Almajiri while it has no room in the families of the wealthy and the rich. Almajiri has actually become a very big menace.
Politicians use them when they want to win elections only to dump them as urchins hanging on the streets for survival. In Kano, for instance, there is no way they can maintain social or physical distancing because of the crowd.
Greater percentages of the population are children scattered everywhere without anywhere to put their heads.
Sadly, nobody wants to be connected with Almajiri, yet they become relevant when it is time to use them to rig elections like hijacking of ballot boxes.
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We should be very fair to Goodluck Jonathan, who wanted the system to be resolved by constructing Almajiri schools all over the country particularly in the North, but unfortunately those that should be frontline beneficiaries sabotaged the project, making Almajiri a big problem to the country.
When the deposed Emir of Kano became critical of the system, he turned an enemy to most Northern establishments. So, unless we, Northerners dialogue over Almajiri system holistically and find a bearing to handle their welfare and situation, it remains a time bomb that may consume everybody.
