Pains of Arewa’s beggar-children

Kano city, a sprawling city of mixed levels of development – from highbrow to slum – is the destination of choice for rural dwellers to send their children and wards to acquire Islamic education in traditionally set-up schools, most times run by a single Malam (teacher). The students are boys, mostly in their early-to-late teens […]

Kano city, a sprawling city of mixed levels of development – from highbrow to slum – is the destination of choice for rural dwellers to send their children and wards to acquire Islamic education in traditionally set-up schools, most times run by a single Malam (teacher). The students are boys, mostly in their early-to-late teens and are called Almajirai, are left to fend for themselves, wandering city streets and begging for food or alms.

According to a census carried out by the state government in 2003, there are a staggering 1,486,000 beggars in Kano. Although this figure does not reflect thousands of men and women who beg at traffic lights, bus stops and other strategic places, the figure continues to rise due to influx of beggars from many other places. Special Adviser to Kano State Governor on Education, Alhaji Aminu Isma’ila Sagagi told Weekly Trust that recent findings showed that the figure had risen to two million. He said due to the rising number of the boys, there is high incidence of child molestation, abuse, kidnapping and hit-and-run cases. “They are everywhere but we are deeply committed to arresting the menace,” he said. The estimated two million boys who roam Kano streets sleep in open spaces scattered around residential areas. They also roam around barefooted, or tarry around restaurants for leftovers.

Weekly Trust investigations revealed that only 24 ‘hostels’ were built for the beggars in the whole state, while documents obtained show that there are 26,000 Qur’anic schools in the state.

Some of the boys interviewed in Kaduna said they do not know where they come from as they left home when they were very young. Six-year-old Abdulrazak who said he started about one-and-a-half years ago, said he could not remember his parents at all. But he said he was happy being in the school as that provides him an avenue of learning the Qur’an. Samaila, 9, said he came from Kano and has been at the school for about three years now. Mohammed, 12, from Zamfara State, said he remembers seeing his father only once since he left home 5 years ago.

Still in Kaduna, at the Kawo Bridge Junction, one of the boys who shyly opened up said while he was able to resist, some of his colleagues have fallen prey to a man who regularly abuses them and pays them a few naira. “I’m afraid, because it may be for ritual purposes,” he said before he scampered off. A Kaduna-based Islamic Scholar, Mallam Ahmadu Mai-Yasin, told Weekly Trust that he has about 87 pupils learning under him, graduating from his school steadily since 1962. Mai-Yasin said some of the boys currently studying under him were brought by their parents from as far away as Niger republic, while some came from different parts of the North including Sokoto, Bauchi, Katsina, Kano Jigawa and Gombe. “It’s not just a Kano thing, it’s just bigger there.”

In Nasarawa State, with large and often empty bowls stretching out from their small hands, the Almajirai find their way into the streets of Lafia, the state capital where they find what passes for shelter and food. The story of Almajirai in Lafia may not be different from elsewhere in Northern Nigeria, but it is getting more worrisome as the problem appears to be growing, fed on steroids of some sort. At food joints, they are a common sight. The remnants from customers’ plates are what they are after, and they can reach all heights including pushing aside the customer to gain access to the plate. “They are an embarrassment to governments of Northern states which have encouraged this trend without thinking about ending it,” a customer at a restaurant said. But reports say help is coming their way from international quarters.

In Nasarawa’s case, a UK-based bank and UNICEF are collaborating with a non-governmental-organization, Centre for Women, Youth and Community Action (NACWYCA). This effort has provided N21m. Earlier in August, a workshop was organized for relevant ministries and other stakeholders in the project believing that with the increasing number of orphans and vulnerable street children in the state, there is the need to target this group with support services”. After series of programmes, the children will be returned to their minders or caregivers, as the case may be. Whether that will work remains to be seen.

The Almajiri system sometimes sees children as young as six years taken away from parents and sent off to Islamic scholars that may not necessarily be known to the parents. Worried by the future of such students, who are seen on the streets of towns and villages in the North begging for alms or menial jobs to do, some state governments introduced a program to settle them.

But Mai-Yasin said even when Europeans came to Northern Nigeria as colonial masters, they did not tamper with the Almajiri system because they knew that government will not be able to make any positive impact on it. “Besides, parents bring their children to us at will. We don’t force them and they do not pay us. Government has its own system of education. If they are doing better, they know it. If they are failing, they know it,” he said.

Then in Zaria, another ancient city, home to the biggest university in Nigeria, one Mallam Aliyu Abdullahi, alias Mallam Chindo, who is believed to be heading one of the oldest and largest Almajiri schools in the state, said: “This school was established by my great grandfather over 200 years ago. I took over from my father. I also do not know how many pupils we have. I only know that there are men and women that study here. The pupils in this school don’t go out to beg. We eat from the same pot with them. But for those who still want to beg, we can’t stop them.”

Back in Kano, Sagagi argued that the problem of begging is a multifaceted one that needs a multifaceted solution. “The result may not be immediate but I assure you that government is making concerted effort toward addressing the issue.” He said the teachers need to be sensitized, trained and empowered.  One way is what his state government did. For the past five years, he said, they distributed free fertilizer to the Qur’anic school teachers. “The way they should pay back to government is to give free feeding to their pupils so that they will not go out to beg.” He said some of the teachers have begun to fulfil their pledge.

But still, on the streets, a youngster called Yahaya and a bunch of other children roam, seemingly aimlessly, dirty bowls in hand. When spoken to, he smiled, revealing dentition badly needing care. “Yes, we learn a lot from our teacher. But some of the older students learn other things from the streets when we go out to beg for food.” As if on cue, a teenaged beggar crossed the street, lit cigarette in hand.