Almajiri is a system of Islamic education practiced in northern Nigeria. Almajiri derives from an Arabic word, rendered “al-Muhajirun” in English literal translation, meaning a person who leaves his home in search of Islamic knowledge.
Underaged children are mostly the victims they begged and cater for themselves at an early age
Some at age 5.
A former Yobe State Senator, Adamu Garba has however shared his thoughts on this after the Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido called for its abolishment.
See what he tweeted below
Almajiranci is our pride and our honor. Yes! we agreed that the program should be reformed but it should not be condemned. No sane society will destroy its culture but seek to reform. All advanced countries value their heritage, why not us?
I disagree with Emir of Kano on this.
It’s God’s destiny that children are birthed to their specific parents & it’s their responsibility to shape the vision of who their child might grow to be
They chose Almajiranci. The want their children to profess Quran, how is that a crime?
They’re also Nigerians with choice.
If not for hypocrisy, some of you send their children to nursery school as young as a year old, yet you condemn the practice of almajiri. You send your kids to boarding school, yet you asked parents of almajiri to keep their kids under them. How do you want them to learn?
Most of you just don’t get it.
You kept confusing almajiranci with street begging. Street begging is not requirements for genuine Almajiranci.
If Govt can provide feeding program for students of other schools & allow boarding, why not to almajiri too? Are they not Nigerians?
Sometimes when I see the fake news peddlers like Work Bank or IMF calling some 10 million out of school children from the north, Very fake news.
Most of these kids are almajirai & they go to almajiri schools, if they really care about them, they should invest in reforming them.
Why would someone chose to asked a father of children who wished to send their wards to learn Quran to be arrested? Wasn’t that insensitive?
We should be guided accordingly.
Almajiri is who we are, where we came from. We should not be ashamed of associating with almajiri & condemning them to obscurity. Almajiri’s are sons & daughters, they are human, they are, above all, Nigerians.
They are students, unlike you, they chose the Quran, respect them.
My son, Bapetel, 7 proudly studying Quran in a typical almajiri way, using his Allo. This was in my house in Yola.
In doing so, he’s continuing a tradition of his family.
Real almajiris don’t beg. Begging was a bad practice introduced in almajiranci. It needs reform not ban.
Olalekan Ajimoti – Blogger, Content Writer, and Digital Marketer helping brands and retailers build 8-figure e-commerce since 2016.
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