RE: THE ALMAJIRI STILL ROAMS…

When I said I was vexed and tired and frustrated with this Almajiri issue, I didn’t envisage that some elders would take exception to my supposed ‘abandonment’ of the vexatious cause. In summary, they told me, in unmistakeable directives, that I am going nowhere because, if they will continue to be there, I must also […]

When I said I was vexed and tired and frustrated with this Almajiri issue, I didn’t envisage that some elders would take exception to my supposed ‘abandonment’ of the vexatious cause. In summary, they told me, in unmistakeable directives, that I am going nowhere because, if they will continue to be there, I must also go for the long haul.

RETIRED REAR ADMIRAL SULEIMAN SA’IDU ([email protected]), one-time Chief of Naval Staff and a former Military Governor of Rivers State, was the first to call. This retired general seems not to be tired at all. And on Almajiri, he has written and commented and advocated and attended various fora to seek ways out on the seemingly intractable issue.

ALHAJI GIDADO MUKHTAR ([email protected]), retired Permanent Secretary and elder statesman and public intellectual was second to call me out on this Almajiri matter. He has appeared on various television and radio shows and lectured and advocated and gave several interviews on the matter.

PROFESSOR SANI ABUBAKAR LUGGA, WAZIRIN KATSINA ([email protected]), an intellectual, a writer and a traditional ruler was the third (and definitely not the least) to get in touch. Among his peers in the academia and traditional rulership, I do not know anyone (and in fact even among us the younger generation), who has been E Pluribus Unum on this matter of Almajiri and the general wellbeing of the Ummah. He has written books and spoken ad infinitum on the matter.

The three gentlemen’s summary of their collective admonitions to me, as I said earlier, is that I am going nowhere since they, too, are going nowhere, and are sticking with the matter until resolution, in sha Allah. One of them said the idea about ‘confronting’ the Nineteen Northern Governors on a common Proclamation is very good – but there will be no ‘confrontation – he promises to lead a delegation of like-minds (such as me, hopefully), to ‘lobby’ the Northern States Governors’ Forum when next they meet wherever. He still thinks dialogue should be the way to go (don’t elders always think so?). And who am I, but an ‘agreer’? The words of the elders, as is said, are words of wisdom.

Therefore, my resolution on this matter should be that I will take a break – if you will allow – while all of us await a miracle which actually may come or may not come. So worrisome is this matter.

Apart from these elders, many other readers have written in to lament and, again, proffer solution which, it seems, no one sees and cares but we who really care. So, in summary, many others have also refused to be frustrated as I was, and refuse to ‘retire’ the matter and let bygones be Almajiri.

Yet, as we speak, the Almajiri boy-child still roams the streets…

ADEDEJI GBADEJO ([email protected]): Thank you a great deal for your honesty at directing the minds and hearts of all who really care about Nigeria to the foundation of the ALMAJIRI problem. For, it has been written that no one can solve a problem the cause of which has not been known or known but ignored. But I think there is a more fundamental cause that is yet to be publicly declared; and this is the matter of the large number of children being produced for Nigeria by people directly concerned. Not long ago, two men known to me died. They left behind 22 and 23 children respectively. The ‘return them to their homes’ prescription by you would not have applied in their cases because my senior-now-late friends had good education and good jobs and good connections. I point out their cases because of their leadership impacts on their communities. So, please point your usually honest and frank insight into this other causative factor too: too many children per male citizen. Thank you.

Yet, as we speak, the Almajiri boy-child still roams the streets…

MUHAMMAD SANI ([email protected]): You have really touched my wound. The Almajiri issue is highly disturbing and becoming unbearable in our society. I can remember nostalgically that in 2016 <tel:+442016>, when the Nigerian Army claimed to have destroyed the last camp (Camp Zero) of Boko Haram militants, I posted something like this nature on Facebook: “The Army has really degraded Boko Haram activities to almost 10%, but one thing that we should bear in mind is that, in so far as we will continue to watch our children roaming and gallivanting on streets begging for what to eat, then millions of Shekaus and Albarnawis will reappear in the future.” And here we are today with banditry and criminality in each part of the Northern Region. The truth is that Northern Governors need to come together and address this Almajiri issue and they need to also do everything possible to eradicate poverty in the Region. May Allah reward you for this.

Yet, as we speak, the Almajiri boy-child still roams the streets…

ABBATI DANKANTI GUMEL ([email protected]): This is both a disturbing and an irritating issue which has continued to spread like wildfire in our society, but remains untouched due to the following: One, poverty that has caused massive rural-urban drift and caused family-wide street begging by fathers, mothers, sons and daughters who jointly and individually patrol the streets daily throughout their lives. Two, the lackadaisical attitude of our political leaders who have refused to muster the political will to tackle this menace head-on. Three, parents (especially fathers) of those Almajiris can be said to be the most irresponsible sires of offspring, producing children only to send them forth to the city to, as it were, fend for themselves from almost age zero. Three, our bereft-of-ideas political leaders still believe in the potency of the ‘prayers’ of some of these Mallams to help them win elections. Can you imagine that some of these politicians are so rotten in their Iman as to believe that some of these Mallams have the efficacy to make them ‘win’ or ‘lose’ elections. Believe this and you will believe anything. Four, some of the Mallams are just child traffickers for economic gain as many of these children are the ones keeping the teachers afloat, and not vice versa. Now tell me, how could the issue of Almajiri ever be solved in this society which is so superstitious and backward-looking? Perhaps we are still looking for a Third Catastrophe after the two celebrated ones – Maitatsine and Boko Haram. Who were the main recruits? You guessed right! So may Allah open the eyes of our political and other leaders, and our eyes too!

Yet, as we speak, the Almajiri boy-child still roams the streets…