A society which eats, debases and abuses its young is a coven run by witches. The almajiri children are innocents socialised into a culture and system they did not create. They are just unlucky to be born in an unfortunate axis of the world. They did not make their circumstances or their world; they were thrust into it. They live but are not given a life. They are programmed like hunter-robots to lead a life of the hunt – hunt for alms.

I witnessed the almajiri affliction during my stay in Kaduna and visits to Kano and Katsina years ago. This was long before the threat of banditry and kidnapping in the north. These street kids are cultured to hunt-beg. They demand, and they seem assured that it is the right thing to do. They could intrude on your privacy to demand alms without flinching. They are made bold in their quest by a society that has normalised such an existence.

I was always trepidated seeing them around; life has been made a trifle for them, so they cared not about anything. It is the reason they could easily be deployed by politicians to cause riots and unrest. I knew a day of reckoning would come. When I got a job in Abuja, I exhaled. I was happy to leave the ‘’crime scene’’.

Alas! The nation’s capital is now grappling with its own almajiri problem. It is clear we cannot wish away the almajiri irritation. It is a northern Nigeria problem, but also a Nigeria challenge.

Really, these almajiri children are the victims of the situation!

In an article in February entitled ‘The northern elite created these bandits’, I alluded the current wave of banditry and kidnapping to the failures of the northern elite in fundamentally addressing the almajiri problem.

For sake perspicuity, I will reproduce a section here.

A study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) put the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria at 13.5 million – as of 2018. An unimpressive mass of this number comes from Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, and other northern states.

In December 2019, Jigawa State Government announced it would open a bidding process for the construction of 95 mosques across the state. This is a state with over 800,000 out-of-school children,

According to a survey by the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN), there are more than 800,000 out-of-school children between the age of three and 18 in Jigawa.

In Kano, there are about one million out-of-school children in the state. This is according to Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF representative to Nigeria, who disclosed this at a four-day workshop organised for commissioners and permanent secretaries from the 19 Northern states in August 2019.

In Katsina, there are approximately one million out-of-school children. Though, Aminu Masari, the governor of the state, put the number at 996,000. Ditto Zamfara.

In addition, reports by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reveal that the North-West region has the highest number of drug-related arrests in years, with 2,205 arrests in 2015 alone. A motion on drug abuse in the north adopted by the senate in 2017 disclosed that three million bottles of codeine were consumed by drug abusers daily in Kano and Jigawa.

Also, Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), revealed that 70 percent of the youth essentially, the young boys, abuse illicit drugs in Kano.

When you put all these numbers together what you have is almajiris, chaos, banditry and kidnapping.

Owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, governors of the north are returning almajiri children to their home states as if this measure will solve the problem. Besides this action constituting a violation of the rights of these children, it is also inhuman and tortuous. These children are often exploited for their ‘’political value’’, but there is calamity in the land now, so they can be expended like garbage.

After COVID-19 crisis what happens to these children, and the more being churned out by the atrocious almajiri system? What happens to the almajiri system? You cannot expel children from your state, yet sustain the system that produces destitutes.

As a matter of fact, it appears the northern hegemony wants to maintain the status quo, but tilts the scale when it becomes inconvenient.

Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act (CRA) in 2003, a fine print which protects the rights of the child. But 11 states in the north are yet to adopt it — Bauchi, Yobe, Sokoto, Adamawa, Borno, Zamfara, Gombe, Katsina, Kebbi, Jigawa and Kano. Even those other eight states in the north which adopted the Act are not living by its standards. But adopting the CRA is a step – no doubt.

The almajiri challenge is one the northern establishment must find a solution to – adopting the Child Rights Act and implementing its provisions is a step in that direction. Any interference from the south or southern leadership will naturally elicit suspicion and a pushback. Northern leaders must run the gauntlet on this one.

Fredrick Nwabufo is a writer and journalist.

Source: https://www.thecable.ng/any-place-for-the-almajiri-rejected-by-parents-scorned-by-society-and-abused-by-politicians/amp

We have 'high bugdet' Almajiris on Nairaland. Those that are paid by the government to defend all their rubbish online. They are truly being used and abused by politicians.

We call them zombies, because they will lick BUBU the mumu ass for some peanuts.

ikorodureporta:
source: https://www.thecable.ng/any-place-for-the-almajiri-rejected-by-parents-scorned-by-society-and-abused-by-politicians/amp

lalasticlala

They deserve it, the purpose of almajiri is in pursuit of their selfish goal and agenda which they failed to make effort to correct and now, their handwork is punishing them.

seunlayi:

They deserve it.

y?? God will never forgive whoever brought them to this world

ikorodureporta:

y?? God will never forgive whoever brought them to this world

Ameeen!

Almajiri is a system created by northern oligarchy that needs to be abolished in it's entirety.

Yes! we've seen enough elites defending this course, this are people who use them as a political tools to gain there selfish interest.

politicians will use Almajiri to advance their own course, and after leave them to wallow in poverty, living their offsprings overseas to enjoy their loot

Woe unto their parents for making their children suffer, I pray these politicians experience shame, poverty, loneliness, illiteracy ignorance, sickness, disease, reproach, in millions of fold as these kids experience it

Imagine asking for alms before you can feed yourself, imagine using your plate as pillow anytime you want to sleep in the bare nothern Nigeria cold, though I haven’t experience that shi, but I can feel the pain and agony under the innocent smile of these children

If God can’t punish our politicians with our corocoro eyes, then I refuse to believe in karma or Judgement day

Northern Nigeria is the only country on earth where male children are being exploited on a large scale using religion and society as cover

Jonathan tried to end this shi but they voted him out, seems Northern nigeria gets orgasm watching these children suffer

They will be brought back 2023 when there votes would be needed by elrufai

The north created it for political reasons

It all greed

if the northern elites have bin preaching against it from d on set we won't be here feeling sorry 4 dem.



check other tribes in d country, kids are more valuable than treasure. but dis northern pple value their cattles over their kids.



political influence join sef


*MODIFIED*


NA GOD GO PUNISH LORD LUGARD WEY JOIN US WITH THIS BARBARIANS.

“What the Northern governors Forum has determined is to end this (Almajiri) system once and for all because it has not worked for our part of the country and it has been a source of problem for the rest of the country and we are determined to end it once and for all”.

There is nowhere in the world where children go through this kind of system which does not give life skills, does not prepare them for modern education and creating future problems for generations”.

https://www.independent.ng/northern-govs-ready-to-confront-anyone-opposed-to-ending-almajiri-culture-el-rufai/

Its part of their religion, Almejiris is the pride of the north

Imagine

almajiri wey the get voters card vote people wey no send them


make una the kill unasef because of politics

After now the headslammers will hijack them, indoctrinate them and teach them jihadism and terrorism and you wonder why there's no single peace and rest in societies with large population of headslammers

I Wonder who dey return this almajiri too because most may not even have parents

The children should be returned back to their parents. Pure and simple.

Meanwhile, check out these creative designs on Covid-19

They give birth to children they have made no provisions for.

North backwards

This Alimaji situation is as a result of religious indoctrination of innocent souls and politicized inadequacy of the northern leaders that benefit from it.

The daft politicians and leaders up there have never considered the future repercussions of their unwillingness to fix this problem by simply ensuring the kids get mass education at least up to the end of primary 6, so that they can have a better understanding of the world and a higher self esteem. The morons that call themelves leaders in the northern part of Nigeria have been throwing stones in a glass house meanwhile, I know a lot of Southern Nigerians will cease this opportunity to blame the North like they don't have a million solvable problems as well!

The most unfortunate part of the problem is the fact that innocent children are the victims and most eventually get their humanity snatched away from them after being exposed to the lifestyle throughout their early years hence: a common saying that "Hausa no value human life" comes into existence.

This is just one of the numerous problems some of us Africans have that holds us backwards and prevents us from moving ahead in a world where we find ourselves at the bottom of the food chain. It's also a microcosm of some problems that we have as a nation and continent. Check out "The African Wahala" on YouTube where we have a some of these discussions and potential solutions.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC96G4ip2KMJJ9JBPJYq8tFQ

It is really sad when you see these boys hungry in market places, car parks, restaurants, supermarkets including churches begging for food. They consume all kinds of food, fresh or stale. These victims of neglect were also victims of exploitation, many give them leftovers out of sympathy or after exploiting them for menial jobs; many resort to wheelbarrow pushing, street taunting and so on. But they’re like this because their elites and politicians want them this way. If they get properly educated, do you want them to contend with the children of the rich that managed to school in good universities here or nice colleges overseas in elections or how do you want them to manage the votes in elections? If they’re educated, they will be able to make rational decisions for themselves which they don’t want & that’s the truth

Their parents should be arrested for crimes against humanity

Almajiri is the pride of the North

tayebest:
Almajiri is a system created by northern oligarchy that needs to be abolished in it's entirety.

Yes! we've seen enough elites defending this course, this are people who use them as a political tools to gain there selfish interest.

:>

anyways check my signature

This Are The People That Gives The Highest Number In The Election Period, They Are A Powerfull Tools In The Hands Of The Northen Leaders,
Politic Is A Dirty Game, It Is Quite Unfortunate They Are Only For Election, And 2023 Is Still Far For Them.

The reason I don't take pity on them is... After going through all the unjust system and unfortunate upbringing they still end up going back in cycle and bringing forth another set of innocent kids (Alimajiri) into the world

They are the cause of their own CALAMITY!! Only them can save themselves

Poor children...all they do is use them to fight christians...same Christians will still dash them money and food...shingbai I no dey give them sha, every state should send them away, let them return to their northern elders...

Even the lifeless chief almajiri can't fend for them..its aiit