Following the outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) in Nigeria and the rising cases in most northern states evacuation of almajiris from one northern state to another, and unlawful movement from North to South has become a daily occurrence. ABDULRAHMAN ZAKARIYAU writes on the implication of the movement of almajiris as Covid-19 bites harder.
For many years there has been a myth around the almajiri system, especially among those who encourage the system to strive and those who know next to nothing about it and Islam. While a few think one must pass through an almajiri system to acquire Islamic or Quranic education, others also believe the almajiri system strive in northern Nigeria because Islamic religion permits its faithful to marry many wives and “churn out” children without taking care of them.
However, many analysts believe that these perceptions are not just illogical, but also misleading.
Myth of almajiri and Islam
Historically, the Hausa word almajiri is derived from the Arabic word Al muhajirun, an emigrant. It usually refers to a person who migrates from his home to a popular teacher in the quest for Islamic knowledge.
So, Almajiranci is a system of Islamic education practised in northern Nigeria. The system is called Almajiranci, the male gender is called Almajiri, the female gender is Almajira, and the plural is (almajirai).
Islamic teaching and practice where the system was copied from encourages Muslims to seek knowledge, explaining this the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Seeking Knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim.” (Ahmed). So Muslims are enjoined to seek knowledge from mother’s lap to their graves.
Similarly, on parental responsibility, the Prophet (PBUH) was reported to have said: “Take care! Each of you is a shepherd and each of you shall be asked concerning his flock; a leader is a shepherd of his people, and he shall be asked concerning his flock; and a man is a shepherd of the people of his house, and he shall be asked concerning his flock; and a woman is a shepherd of the house of her husband and over their children, and she shall be asked concerning them.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Seeking knowledge far away from home is good and is indeed an Islamic principle for the parent to take care of their children even as they seek knowledge far away from home. Obviously, this is not the case in northern Nigeria Almajiranci system where parents send their children, at tender age, to unknown Mallams far away, foregoing their responsibility and encouraging the Mallam to use the children for begging and other acts of child abuse.
It is Islamic to seek knowledge, but it is not Islamic to abandoned one’s children and allow them to become beggars all in the name of seeking knowledge under a Mallam.
…Useful only for political gains
The worrying trend of Almajiri in northern Nigeria has been there for years but it was brought to the front burner of political discourse in 2014. It has since become a big issue during and after the 2015 general elections.
Notably, some northern political elites subtly made it known that there are political undertone to the almajiri system. Interestingly, former President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, a southerner, was the first and only Nigerian President to recognise and cater for the teeming number of almajiris in the North.
Jonathan built over 150 Almajiri Schools and sponsored a back to school campaign in the region. No president or even governor from the northern region made it a matter of policy to cater for the almajiri like he did.
Regrettably, his actions were rejected and condemned surprisingly by people in the North. This best explains why the projects were converted to other uses when Jonathan’s government lost power in 2015.
Unfortunately, for the former President, his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan in her popular, but condemnable “born throwaway” remark made some northerners to openly confirmed what many political pundits had said about how almajiris were used to rig elections even when most of them were not up to voting age.
Responding to the former First Lady’s comment on the alamajiri system the former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Rabiu Kwankwaso, confirmed the allegation that Almajiris were useful for political gains for the North.
Kwankwaso, who spoke in an interview with a national television said, “Some people have said that the North was engaged in the promotion of almajiris, and now we have used the almajiri population to kick them out.”
COVID- 19, a wake-up call?
With the dreaded Covid-19 devastating most parts of the world including Africa there are concerns among Nigerians over the plight of the almajiri children.
Notably, in the last three weeks as the repatriation of almajiri from states of residence to supposed states of origin continues there have been increasing cases of the children testing positive to the Coronavirus.
As at last week, out of the 59 active cases of Coronavirus in Kaduna state, 50 of the victims were repatriated almajirai pupils. The Governor of Kaduna state, Governor Nasir El-Rufai, on Twitter confirmed the development. This is also the case of many states in North.
This is perhaps because the almajiri are not well informed about the pandemic, or their Mallams told them not to believe that it exists.
To the almajiri there was nothing like physical distancing, washing of hands with soap and running water as well as wearing face masks. What they are concerned with is search for food and money for their survival and that of their ‘invisible’ Mallam.
Phase out the system
Reacting on the likely effect of the almajiri system on the fight against Covid-19 and the lesson for the North, a public affairs analyst Usman Mohammed said Covid-19 was another wake-up call on the governors and other leaders of the region to come up with policies to phase out the system.
In a phone chat with Blueprint Weekend, Mohammed said, “Even though some political elites benefit from this Almajiri system, they failed to see it as a problem to solve. So many northern leaders have continued to condemn it. It is dangerous to allow children to roam the street begging.
“Many have warned in the past that allowing the almajiri system to continue will further compromise the North as these children are being recruited by criminals and politicians to perpetuate unlawful act. The North is seating on a keg of gun powder if nothing is done to urgently address this.
“This Covid-19 pandemic, especially how Almajiri are now reported to have carried the virus to other states will wake the governors up. So, Covid-19 is another wake-up call on the northern leaders to come up with policies that within a few years will phase out the Almajiri system.”
Almajirai evacuation jeopardizing fight against pandemic
The House of Representatives has urged the federal government through the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to enforce the inter-state travel ban order and direct the governors concerned to halt the evacuation of the almajiris amidst Covid-19 pandemic.
It further urged the Federal Ministry of Health to examine the health condition of the almajiri children and asked the Northern Governors Forum to rescind their decision on banning the almajiri system of education until those already in the system were provided for in the Universal Basic and Technical Education System.
These resolutions were reached at plenary on Tuesday sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by Aishatu Dukku (APC Gombe) and Shehu Kakale (APC, Sokoto).
The lawmaker said the House of Representatives noted that about 10 million children attend the almajiri schools in North with over 500,000 almajirai living in the state of Kano alone, where the majority of the children were being evacuated from.
She said, “The House is worried that the evacuation of the almajirai is jeopardizing the fight against Covid-19 due to the high-level of movement of the children from different places and its attendant high risk of infection.
“We are concerned that the evacuation of the children is against their fundamental human rights of residing anywhere in Nigeria as guaranteed in Chapter IV of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Also, we are concerned that the evacuation of the children is in violation of the interstate travel ban currently enforced by the government.
“Further worried that the nature and manner in which the children are being transported is dehumanizing and has brought them pain and untold hardships.
“Disturbed that in some cases, these children, after travelling for so many hours under harsh weather, were rejected and turned back by their states of origin or at best, they were kept in isolation under dehumanizing and demeaning condition.”
We’ll resist threats to the security of our lives – SMBLF
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has said that it would resist any threat to the security of the lives and property of their people over the movement of almajiri from North to South.
In a statement by Chief E K Clark for PANDEF; Chief Ayo Adebanjo for Afenifere; Chief John Nnia Nwodo for Ohaneze; and Dr Bitrus Pogu for The Middle Belt Forum; the forum noted that, “Very worrisome in this development is the quietness of the National Security Organizations, the National Covid-19 Committee and the Presidency since this story broke out.”
The statement read in part, “Their capacity to escape all border security checks until they reach many States in the South and Middle Belt and nearly the whole country points to a strong collaboration.
“The silence of the federal government in this situation is ominous. The manoeuvres appear deliberately planned and provocative. We will resist any threats to our invasion and the security of our lives and property with every amount of self-help available to us.
“To avoid further descent to an uncontrollable situation, we call on the federal government to publicly declare this invasion illegal, direct our National Security Organisations to flush them out now and ensure that they do not return.
“A stitch in time saves nine! We call on our people to be vigilant. How can we endure sporadic killings in the hands of herdsmen in normal times and almajiri invasion under the Covid-19 pandemic?”
Northern Govs to come up with alternatives
Former governor of Kano state, Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, has charged all northern governors to collectively come up with an alternative to put an end to the almajiri system.
Senator Gaya, who made the call during a flagship programme of Channels TV Politics Today noted that, “We have a major problem of unemployment, a problem of our youths not been busy. And like the saying goes, when you don’t get your youths busy, they will keep the government busy.
“So there is a need to seat collectively and discuss how best we can resolve this matter. It is not just the issues of Almajiri, we also have many graduates that are unemployed. It is important that all the governors in northern Nigeria put their heads together and find a solution to this problem. I believe they are interested and they are working hard on it but I think they need to put more effort in that respect.
“They should discuss it as a problem, not a war. Anyone given a position to handle is given a challenge. Which I believe to solve these problems was why they were elected. So that’s why it is important that our governors in northern Nigeria put their heads together to solve this problem.”
Solution not in scrapping ssyetem
On whether to have a law scrapping the slmajiri system, he said scrapping almajiri system would not solve the problem, noting: “We have to think of finding a way to educate them. I remembered in those days we worked with almajiri and other schools. I started with almajiri school then I moved to primary school and I will come back in the evening to the almajiri school. And we are happy, we are contributing to the development of the country, as a formal almajiri.
“So, I am saying, it is not scrapping that will solve the problem. Is just like you are returning those children back home, where their parent cannot take care of them and that means they can go into criminality.
“So, I believe all the governments need to put their heads together, monitor our border. You don’t just scrap or make a law without providing them with alternatives. So. there must be alternatives.”
