Almajiri Ban: Ganduje Sets The Pace For Northern Govs, By Tope Sunday
POLITICS DIGEST – The Almajiri System
The word ‘Almajiri’ is derived from an Arabic word al-Muhajirun, which means, a person who leaves his home in search of Islamic knowledge. Today, it has snowballed into a system of education in the northern part of Nigeria.
A report by the National Council for the Welfare of the Destitute (NCWD), as quoted by Wikipedia, a free encyclopedia, approximated the number of almajiri children to seven million.
The issues
For pundits, the almajiri system of education may be responsible for the rising insecurity in some northern states. According to them, the system lacks basis amenities like proper clothing and shelter.
They also argue that most of the almajirai, who are living with their teachers (Mallams), do not graduate, and usually abscond to eke a living anywhere they find comfort.
Though, the almajiri children are enrolled under the tutelage of Islamic teachers for adequate Islamic teaching, a recent visit by this reporter to Gusua, the Zamfara state capital, revealed that some of the affected students are subjected to street-begging for the benefit of their teachers.
Sultan, Emir Sanusi’s stance
In 2017, the Amir Muslims in Nigeria and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, declared that the almajiri system is not Islamic, saying it represents hunger and poverty.
The monarch, who spoke at a pre-Ramadan meeting in Kaduna, said Islam frowns upon laziness, but encourages scholarship and entrepreneurship, advocating that attempts must be made to stop the practice and its association with the Islam faith.
“Almajiri does not represent Islam, but hunger and poverty. Almajiri system of begging is not representing Islam and must, therefore, be distinguished from Islam. Islam encourages scholarship and entrepreneurship and frowns on laziness and idleness as exemplified by itinerant almajiri. Therefore, attempt must be made to stop the practice of almajiri system of begging among Muslim faithful,” the Sultan had said.
Also, in 2019, while speaking at the opening of the 108th edition of Islamic Vacation Course (IVC), organised by the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Zone B, held at IVC Permanent Camp, on Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun state, the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, called on Nigerians, especially Muslims, to give birth to only the number of children they can cater for.
The respected traditional leader, who insisted that the almajiri challenge in the northern part of the country is not a religious concern, but a social issue that needs urgent attention, said, “If we continue this way, about 40 per cent extremely poor people will be in Nigeria. Poverty in the South-west is 20 per cent, in the North, it is 80 per cent, Lagos is 8 per cent and Zamfara, it is 91 per cent.
“We have been talking about almajiri for over 30 years. Why are people having family that they cannot maintain? Why are people marrying wives that they cannot maintain? The condition is that you are able to provide for your family.
“Instead of having many children, why not have the ones you can cater for? These are the fundamental questions we should ask ourselves. Most of these children roaming about the streets will be adult in the next 20 years and they will be the ones recruited as political thugs by the politicians in the next twenty years, if we don’t take good care of them now.”
FG’s initial move
Displeased with activities of the almajiri children in the North, the federal government in June, 2019, declared that it considered the proscription of the almajiri system of the education to tackle insecurity.
Though, till date, no action has been taken and effected by the government at the centre, it argued that the ban on the system would ensure that no child is deprived basic education.
The national security adviser (NSA0, Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), who gave the hint at the end of the national executive council meeting in Abuja, said the almajiri were becoming a huge problem to the society, adding that many of them end up becoming “criminals, drug addicts and willing tools in the hands of those who have very dangerous intentions.”
“I also briefed Council on the drivers of insecurity which are unemployment, under-employment, poverty, drugs abuse, rising population. I also made suggestions regarding the way forward which include, employment creation and reduction of poverty, and being the culture of impunity and looking at stabilising certain areas of the country by giving rise to affordable education.
“This is very important because in most parts of the country we have a lot of children roaming around without any formal education. And as the president has mentioned earlier, we need to make education compulsory and free for every child in the country because the problems we face today are rooted in the fact that a lot of people who have been denied the opportunity, basically the opportunity to get formal education end up over the years. There is accumulation of large mass of human beings who end up becoming criminals, drug addicts and so on and so forth.
“And they end up becoming tools to be used by elements in the wider society who have very dangerous intentions. And, therefore, it is very important to proscribe certain groups running around under the guise of maybe getting some kind of education that is not really formal,” he said.
Ganduje’s audacity
With the federal government seemingly foot-dragging on the issue of street- begging, which is one of the hallmarks of the almajiri system, the governor of Kano state, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, proscribed the system in his state.
The governor, in a statement by his spokesperson, Abba Anwar, said the effort was to fully consolidate the free and compulsory primary and secondary schools education in the state.
He said the decision was meant to integrate the almajiri system into the policy and address the lingering problem of street-egging. He warned that, henceforth, almajiri teachers must accept the new approach put in place by the state government.
“If an almajiri teacher thinks he cannot accept the new policy he has to leave the state. When almajirai are caught begging, it is not only that beggar that is caught, but his parents or guardians. Such parents or guardians would be taken to court to face the wrath of the law,” the statement read in part.
Kaduna, Nasarawa, Niger govts join crusade
Two days after Governor Ganduje’s bold action, the move against out-of-school children (almajiri) in the North gained more support on with Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state and his Nasarawa state counterpart, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, joining the crusade.
Governor El-Rufai, who spoke through his Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Baba, during a meeting with stakeholders on how to tackle the almajiri problem in his state, said his administration had the political will to address the issue, but it required the cooperation of other states to prevent inter-state movement of the kids.
He frowned on parents who push their children to the streets to beg under the guise of almajiri model of education, saying that the law banning street-begging and hawking in Kaduna state would be implemented as a measure to check the development.
He said, “Whether we like it or not, this is our issue and we must find a way of addressing it. It is unfortunate that we recorded over 600 cases of child violation with a good number of them are male children in 2019 alone. The governor now has a committee in place to see to the implementation of laws banning begging and street hawking in Kaduna state.’
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On his part, Governor Sule of Nasarawa issued an Executive Order prescribing 10 years imprisonment for parents whose children engage in street-begging.
Sule, who signed into law the State Anti Kidnapping Prohibiting Bill 2020 and Child Protection Executive Order in Lafia, also banned street-begging in the state and said his administration “will upgrade the Tsangaya system by enrolling its students in public schools.”
“Those currently begging will be taken off the streets and enroll in schools to make their lives worthwhile. It is only those who are currently begging on our streets that government will provide for, so any persons who bring children from other states again will be jailed if caught,” he said.
Similarly, the Niger state government on Thursday joined the crusade to free the North from street-begging when it announced its total ban in the state. The Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, who made the pronouncement at a news conference in Minna, the state capital, said the decision was arrived at the state’s weekly Executive Council Meeting to nip the rising insecurity in the state in the bud.
He said the “executive decision on street-begging takes effect from March 5,” adding that credible reports at the disposal of security agencies made it necessary to begin vigorous enforcement of law on street-begging.
“This is because security challenges in the state are on the rise; therefore, putting a ban on street- begging will help to mitigate and address the security challenges,” he said.
The Ulama kick
However, the Ganduja’s action did not go down well with the state’s Council of Ulama, which described it as “a mere pronouncement that would not see the light of the day.”
The leader of the Council, Sheikh Ibrahim Khalil, who granted an interview shortly after the ban, said the state government “is not serious,” adding that the project “is bound to fail like other similar policies by successive administrations in the state.”
He said the Council’s position revolves around five issues; “Firstly, if we look at the history of banning street begging since the time of Sir Ahmadu Bello, when they were making efforts to ban street begging it was opposed by the Ulama because they saw it as a way of keeping people away from Qur’anic or religious studies.
“The issue was politicised. Also, during the reign of Governor Audu Bako, Alhaji Muhammadu Ibrahim, the father of Professor Ruqayya, former Minister of Education, had in 1971 initiated good plans to curtail street-begging; there too, the Ulama politicised the issue. Audu Bako moved him from the ministry.
“Firstly, he was sent on course to Kaduna and when he came back, he was moved to another ministry. The issue was finally swept under the carpet. The then military administrator of Kano state, Col. Ndatsu Umaru, established a committee to stop street-begging. Prominent Ulama like Sheikh Isah Waziri, Ibrahim Umar Kabo, Rabi Wali were members and were drawn from all sections of the society. It was a very big committee.
“He will ban it and after a while it will return. Just like the Hausa saying that ‘The king’s instruction last only for seven days.’ Secondly, the steps to be taken before begging could effectively be banned are not followed at all. The right steps have not been followed and begging cannot stop because the correct measures have not been put in place,” he said.
Almajiri, synonymous with neglect – CSOs
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), in their reaction, said the original aim of the system has been neglected, and that it has now become synonymous with abandoned children roaming the streets, seeking alms, begging, and sometimes engaging in criminal activities as a result of their basic survival needs not being met.
The CSOs disclosed this an open letter, titled: Almajiri crisis in Northern Nigeria: A cry for our children, which was co-authored by Aisha Muhammed- Oyebode, CEO Murtala Muhammed Foundation; Fatima Akilu – CEO Neem Foundation; Aisha Waziri- Umar – Founder /CEO Inara Foundation; Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okom – Professor of Political Science, African & Women’s Studies Brooklyn College, City University of New York; Ada Ngozi Maduakoh – Founder/ CEO Lotachi Foundation; and Modupe Oni – Executive Director Standard Bearers School, Home of the Handsout App.
According to them, “Today, the name almajiri has become synonymous with seemingly abandoned children roaming the streets of our nation, seeking alms, begging, and sometimes engaging in criminal activity as a result of their basic survival needs not being met. And, Almajiranci – the act of being an almajiris, has become a perpetual situation for the children; evidence of pervasive societal neglect.
“The original intention of the Almajiri system of education cannot be faulted. Northern Nigeria is predominantly Muslim, and a Qur’anic education is a crucial feature of Islam, and was seen as a revered, parallel and analogous system to Western education.
“The initial failings of the system were akin to the failings of our non-Islamic schools; poor infrastructure and pedagogy and an abysmal quality of formal education for the teachers resulting in high levels of illiteracy and ignorance. However, in tracing the collapse of the Almajiri system, external historical factors cannot be overlooked. Professor Idris A. AbdulQadir writes on the topic: “…with the disposal of many Emirs and the defunding of religious schools by the British [during the colonial era], formal control over the Almajiri system was lost. This is certainly the genesis of the predicament of the Almajiri system today.
“It was shocking to discover in September 2019, that 300 men and boys bearing the scars of beatings and chains, some of whom had apparently been sodomised, were rescued from a purported Islamic school building in Kaduna, Kaduna state in Northwest Nigeria. Two months later, 259 men, women and children were rescued from a similar rehabilitation centre in Ibadan, Oyo state in Southwest Nigeria.”
Further reactions
Speaking with Blueprint Weekend, Malam Abdullahi Musa said the almajiri system has been turned to a personal gratification in the North, alleging that it is exploiting.
He said, “I am very pleased with the ban of the almajjiri system of education in the three states of the North. Before, the system was for the teaching of Quran but now, the Ulama (Islamic teachers) have turned it to personal gratification. Also, parents should be blamed for the deficiencies that are noted within the system.
“In some cities in the North, some parents would ask their children who have been enrolled for the system to come home during the raining season for farming. But upon harvest, they will return them to their teachers. Why is it that parents who had used them during the raining season would refuse to take care of their children? The system is very exploiting because both the teachers and parents are abusing it.”
On his part, Comrade Sidiq Aliyu told this medium that for the ban to be effective, the school feeding programme of the federal government should be replicated for the affected children.
Aliyu, who believes that the ban could be counterproductive if alternative is not provided, said, “The ban on the street-begging in some states in the North is good, but it will be counterproductive if the alternative like school feeding programme of the federal government is not provided for the affected children.
“Once banned from begging in the streets, what would they be eating? Government should make adequate arrangements for their feeding because anything contrary to this may bring about uneasy calm in the affected states.”
Though, the originators of the almajiri system were determined to entrenching sound teaching of Islamic education on their students, many decades after their demise, their intention seems to have been betrayed.
Will the other northern governors key into the Kano state governor’s recipe to halt the trend? Only time will tell!
