As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to celebrate World children’s day , Almajiri Child Right Initiative has lamented that children below age 6 are deprived the Almajiri scholarship migrant culture of learning.
The team lead of the group, Mohammed Sabo Keanna ,said the United Nations Convention on the rights of children and the Nigerian child rights acts provides and guarantees the rights of every child to a fair chance to start in life.
He expressed dismay that they live in some of the shabbiest conditions unimaginable, with many facing nutritional challenges aggravated by daily street begging, with many facing exploitation and abuses sexual abuse among others.
“As a result of them been out of school, they will have next to no jobs or opportunities when they grow as Almajiri adults in an increasingly challenging and competitive world.
“It is acceptable to describe the Almajiri children as the world must
abused, deprived and marginalized set of children because they are practically being abandoned by their parents,neglected by their Government and ignored by the society.
“According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 9-10 million Almajiris in Northern Nigeria.
“This is why it is morally reprehensible for our government and the northern leadership to continue to turn a blind eye to the plight of these innocent children.
The group call on the Nigerian Senate to immediately pass the proposed child Destitution
commission bill which has pass the public hearing stage of which our organization made some far reaching recommendations.
He proffered that the Nigerian Government and Northern governors set up a multi-stakeholder task team to come up with a unified position on how to address the social, educational, nutritional, and security situation of the #AlmajiriChild.
“The ECOWAS Commission to work with the affected country to initiate and amend policies that will address the regional implication of ungoverned borders as
evidence suggests that uncontrolled migration accounts for a large number of the street begging population in places like Borno state where an estimated one million Almajiri resides.
The plight of millions of Almajiri children might currently be a Nigerian problem but it has potentially grave consequences for us all
