“Our lives begins to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
I cannot imagine that in the 21st century Nigeria, with the abundant natural and human resources Nigeria is blessed with. With the high number of men and women of great financial and economic muscle, education, intellectual capacity, traditional and religious fathers, the streets of Kano and indeed most northern states are littered with street children begging for arms, begging and scampering for what to eat, they have no home, no opportunity for medical attention when sick, no hope for education or any kind of training. It is more saddened that our leaders, military or civilian since 1960, had always made promises, shouted on top of their voices, campaigned vigorously at their desire to end poverty and improve the lives of the masses. But the confirmation till date is more of woes, illiteracy, sickness, poverty, squalor, backwardness. While our leaders keep getting fat and healthy, the led keep getting thinner and sick.
Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) clearly described the living system of the street children popularly referred to as Almajiri; ‘They sang, begged and prayed, appealing to the mercy and goodwill of the people. It is really sad to see these almajiris, hungry, malnourished, wounded; rush for flies-infested leftover food, searching through trash can for little morsels just to stay alive. They consume all kinds of food, fresh or stale. Their common food called “jagala” which is stored by an almajiri over a number of days, is a combination of locally made corn food (tuwo), pasta and boiled yam together like a fresh vomit. They roam about dirty, tattered, bare footed, pale with flies pecking on their cracked lips and dry faces which is filled with rashes or ringworm. They sleep on worn out mats in uncompleted buildings. Goats may not find the small rooms where about 15 almajiris sleep conducive as there are no windows for cross ventilation and the walls have given room to cracks as if it will fall the next minute”.
There is virtually no corner without hundreds of children, walking aimlessly, carelessly, without homes and parents providing love, care and guide. These children move from one place to the other begging for arms, for what to eat. They look unkept, dirty and rough. This problem must be tackled headlong for solution to arrest the time bomb that may explode in the nearest future. According to the Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, in a presentation recently he remarked that investing in the education of these children is the sure bet at controlling and avoiding imminent destruction of the north. He told his gathering that no leader should be happy with about 87 percent of poverty in Nigeria being in the North or be happy with millions of northern children out of school with no hope of ever attending school.
Nigerian leaders must resist the temptation of erecting skyscraper buildings, organizing expensive state functions, purchasing the state of art cars, paying outrageous salaries and allowances to some government functionaries but, invest more in the education of these boys and girls. These children are looking sick, malnourished, helpless, that we need to cater for their nutrition and primary health to give them a healthy living.
The about 14 million out-of-school children in the north, according to available reports, is dangerous not only for the north but the country. Nigerian leaders and most importantly the northern leaders must brace up and reverse this ugly trend hanging in the air. It is not until we are able to visit this wahala with all energy and brain it requires, except that is done we are only preparing for doom. There are lots of study, reports and writings on almajiri, with adequate solutions on how best it can be curbed in our society but, why the federal, state governments are not doing much to nip it in bud remains worrisome.
The callous abuse of the fundamental human rights of our young ones calls for quick intervention from the authorities. The total neglect and lack of commitment to the plight of these minors is highly unfortunate. As it is, Almajiri is the face of poverty, it is un-Islamic, against all logics. This is time for President Muhammadu Buhari to put measures that could possibly banish, or again re-define the whole idea of the present Almajiri system in modern day Nigeria to save the country from massive humanitarian crisis. The time has come for the federal and state governments to demand for the registration of these Koranic schools for easy identification and monitoring.
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The street children issue is not a northern problem that must be left for the north but a problem bedeviling Nigeria. The children did not prepare for such condition that has befallen on them, they were biologically given birth to like all humans, they are innocent, the government and elites in the society must do something to save these children’s tomorrow. These children are usually recruited by evil minds to cause mayhem to the rest of the society. It then requires that all leaders, at all levels, from all parts should put religion and ethnic sentiments behind and approach this upheaval without delay. The late Yoruba sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, said; if the children of the poor are left uneducated by the rich, then the rich should expect these uneducated children to visit their educated children tomorrow with anger and brutality.
Education takes away poverty, ignorance, disease, sickness, backwardness. Education adds value to life, makes one think critically, abolishes poverty, brightens the future, cures sickness. Education brings development to a society; it is a springboard that catapults a people to greatness.
Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto diocese came up with a laudable initiative to help train about 10 million Almajiris using his centre. But his noble idea and effort was condemned by Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC). While their fear may be genuine due to the fact that the benefactor and the beneficiaries are from different religious leaning however, it doesn’t reconcile the argument with the reality on ground. It wonders sane minds why it is okay for children of Muslim elites to be sent to schools established by missionaries but it is abnormal for children of the less privileged to be trained in same. The erudite Emir of Kano attended a Catholic boarding primary school and, he is still one of the most knowledgeable Emirs in Islamic teachings.
*** Written by Uzodinma Nwaogbe. / 0708.438.1845
