From Ado Abubakar Musa Jos
The Jamaátu Nasril Islam (JNI) has disclosed that it would soon come out with comprehensive report on how to tackle the menace of Almajiri children wondering in most streets of northern Nigeria.
JNI Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu made this known yesterday in Jos at a one week enlightenment of JNI on prevention of violence against children in Plateau State.
Dr. Khalid said during the ‘State Sensitization/Awareness Creation for Leadership of JNI on Ending Violence against Children’ that following a 2017central council of JNI being chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, a resolution was taken to face the menace of almajiri head on.
“A high powered committee was set to look at this and all those that matter were invited from the ministers down to educationists, parents and others. The meeting is on, even the day before yesterday, we adjourned from one and we are about to come out with the report which will be applied in collaboration with the northern state governors and all stakeholders.”
While delivering a paper on “Ending Violence Against Children: The Islamic Perspective,” he said Islam places the responsibility on parents to ensure proper upbringing of the child right from birth up to maturity adding that “…especially in the first six years of a child’s formation. A child in Islam has a right to education, proper feeding, protection against aggression and child labour as well as any other form of inhuman treatment.”
Officer in Charge UNICEF Nigeria- Bauchi field office, Mr. Drissa Yeo in his speech said the campaign followed a 2014 survey conducted by the National Population Commission which indicated a high prevalence of sexual, physical, and emotional violence against children in Nigeria.
