Former presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba, has said the
Almajiri system ubiquitous in northern Nigeria produced some of the richest men
in the country including Africa’s pride, Aliko Dangote; as well as the founder
of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu; amongst others.
Garba, who spoke to PUNCH over the weekend, also said he was
once an Almajiri before he acquired Western education.
The Almajiri system involves parents sending their wards to
live with clerics in order to study the Qu’ran and Islamic tenets. The system
has been hugely criticised as the Almajirai often garbed in dirty clothes take
to the streets to beg for alms, food and other basic supplies.
Former Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, amongst other
notable Nigerians, have spoken effusively against the Almajiri system in the
past. The ex-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria believed the Almajiri
system was one of the factors responsible for the poverty rate and poor
literacy level in the northern part of the country.
Some Almajiri students have also been said to be co-opted
into banditry and terror groups like Boko Haram by Islamic fundamentalists and
ideological radicalists.
But the former presidential aspirant said the Almajiri
system was intentionally a noble idea and had produced some affluent
personalities in the country.
He, however, lamented what he described as the
‘contamination’ of the entire system by criminal clerics who send the lads out
to commit crimes.
When asked whether the Almajiri system promotes terrorism,
Garba said Boko Haram has no connection with the Almajiri system because of the
dichotomy between Islamic denominations in northern Nigeria. “So, it is very
unlikely that you have an Almajiri man becoming a Boko Haram,” he said.
Garba also said the current Almajiri situation in northern
Nigeria is a failure of the governors of the region whom he claimed neglected
the young Almajirai.
He said, “Young ones who are also citizens of the country
are supposed to have good healthcare, they are supposed to have good education,
they are supposed to have good attention or support from the government where
necessary. The parents are very poor and they believe that one of the things
that will liberate their children is carrying them to another place to go and
study.
“As a state governor, you should see this as an opportunity
that that boy that will be left in the bush in a certain village that has no
opportunity is in the city and now that he is very close to me in the city
where there are basic amenities for him to enjoy, why not find a way to
mainstream him into the educational system and then give him proper healthcare
support so that he can grow and become more useful citizen of the society?
“Meanwhile, the same Almajiranci setting was a very strong
grooming ground for so many big people from the north including most of the
most notable families from the north, all of them came from Almajiri because
Almajiranci itself has nothing to do with raw study of Islam; it has everything
to do with studying businesses, marketing, relationship, and lifestyle.
“If you look at Dangote, our richest man today, his family
are Almajirai. In fact, currently, the Dantata family is one of those
supporting the largest Almajiri group in Nigeria. The group has up to 10,000
Almajiris and the Dantata family still supports them.
“Isiaka Rabiu, his father was a notable Almajiri. His family
was a traditional Almajiri. In fact, his father was a Sheikh of Almajiranci.
Until he died, he supported Almajiranci and up till now, they (the family) are
still supporting Almajiranci. So, they (the Almajiri settings) have been able
to build children that have become global icons. It means there is value in the
Almajiranci.”
“Again, if you go to Kano market, most of the rich people in
the market are Almajiri, they came through Almajiri, they were able to get
necessary training in the Almajiri institutions and they were able to get to
where they are.
“But today’s Almajirancis have been contaminated because the
Malams take advantage of these children: they send them to commit crimes,
sometimes, they go into drug abuse and become big criminals in the society.
Why? Because there is no care for them,” the ex-presidential aspirant noted.
Garba opined that the 19 state governments in northern
Nigeria should dedicate 10 per cent of their budget on education to cater for
the welfare of the Almajiri students. According to him, proper attention and
funding would enable the states overcome some of the challenges associated with
the Almajiri system in the north.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com