From Femi Oyelola, kaduna
A lecturer at the Department of Public Law, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU Zaria, Dr. Ahmad Jibrin Suleiman has called on the Northern Nigerian elites and governments to as a matter of urgency embark on the transformation of the current almajiri education system in the region to avoid the looming danger it poses to the society.
He stated this In a lecture he delivered at the ABU, Zaria, titled Transforming Almajiri System; Is the North Ready?
Dr. Suleiman warned that abolishing the almajiri system in Northern Nigeria will do more harm than good in the region.
According to him, terminating the system is not the answer to the problems, adding that today in Northern Nigeria there are more idle youths that have no future than before.
“If you meet 10 youths in any street in Northern Nigeria, you will discover that 5 out of them have no future. So the almajiri system needs to be reformed but the reformation should not just be based on mere restructuring the methodology, the Northern society needs to look inward, a lot of things are happening because the system is a symptom of a larger disease growing in the society.
Participants at the lecture “Religion is now taking an outward appearance and losing its inward dominance that has supported us in the past. Make your research, 50 years ago, Northerners were better Muslims, taking care of their neighbours, sisters and brothers compared to today’s practice.
“If you look at the predicaments, the evils and problems associated with the almajiri system today, you will agree with me that its menace is a symptom of a larger disease within the society.
‘Whatever it is, this almajiri system has sustained the educational system for centuries within the North. In fact in Islamic society, this system has successfully sustained the educational background but today we have a problem, why do we have a problem? The society is crumbling. Some of the virtues that sustains the society are crashing down. The societal pillars that supported the almajiri system before are crumbling.
“Way back in the 50s, there were high moral conscience within the society, people took care of other people’s children whether you know that child or not but it doesn’t happen these days why? What this means is that the almajiris that finds himself now wonders around the streets without any moral up bringing except when his teacher happens to be close to him and this style is very dangerous, that is why we have negative development in our society today and that is why some of them are being recruited into terrorism,, kidnapping and bandit groups.
Before in Northern Nigeria, like I pointed out in my village, I came from almajiri background and in those days, families take pride of the number of almajiri they take care of but today how many family take care of other children in the North apart from their own?,”
