Man recalls life as an almajiri in Kano, escaping and being rescued by Igbo family that sent him to school


A man shared a detailed true story of his life as an Almajiri in Kano, how he escaped and became determined to make it in life before getting rescued by an Igbo man.

The man shared his story to enlighten those who fight over tribe or religion, saying it is largely out of ignorance of our existence and how Allah can use us as angels to help one another.


The story was coiled from THE ALMAJIRI by Japheth Prosper.(a true story) and shared by @dr_kay_umar on his twitter page.

He shared;

Life as an almajiri in Kano was very tough. I could still remember how we went about in tens begging for alms and food. It’s really not a life anyone should live. I lived it years ago and could still tell exactly how it hurts; the memory of it and the hellish experiences we had to bear. Almajiri life isn’t a life. It’s like being dead-alive. I lived that life.

I was ten when I decided to remove the cloak of destitution and face life squarely. It still remains the turning point in my life and the wisest decision I’d ever taken.

I could still remember vividly what led me to take such a decision one afternoon. It was at Sabon Titi Kano. We were nine in number. We had trekked all the way from Bida Road. Ali, my best friend was saying something about how very unfair it was that girls were not allowed to wander about begging as boys did. He said something about girls being lucky and fortunate because they were not subjected to the demeaning life that we lived.

“But you don’t have to think that way,” I said. “You know that if you lived a good life here on earth, you surely would enjoy in heaven when you die.”

Ali had always thought differently. He was thirteen years old. Several times he would tell me that we should elope.

He said he didn’t like the way the Mallami treated us. According to him, we were treated as slaves and it was very unfair. Ali was the first ever almajiri I had seen who did not like his being a poor beggar. He always compared himself with the children of the rich.

Do you think Mallam Ladan will ever allow his own children to move about aimlessly in the streets begging as we do?” he often asked me. “He will never do a thing like that. His children eat good food and go to the white man’s school but we don’t. And every day, we take money that we make from begging to him. That is not fair.”No one hated Mallam Ladan as much as Ali did at that time.

Mallam Ladan had always said that Ali was rebellious and that he behaved like an infidel.

One day, and according to him, all infidels would never gain paradise where there were lots of merriments. I remembered one day Ali had asked a question during our usual group recitation of the holy book and Mallam Ladan, red with indignation ordered that Ali should be whipped.

According to him, Ali had asked a blasphemous question. Since then, Ali expressed his displeasure and irritation about the Mallam secretly to me. So, the day I finally made up my mind to quit almajarinci was at Sabon Titi.

We gathered around a very busy canteen owned by a woman from Lafia whom everybody referred to as Mama Nassarawa. She had a very large open space with huge patronage. Most often when any of her many customers ate to their fill and there was leftover, we would swing into action.

It was usually like warfare. Our survival-of-the-fittest lives were hugely dependent on the miserable remnant from the food Mama Nassarawa’s customers left in their plates.

Keenly, we watched from a close distance as the customers ate. Our eagle eyes moved from customer to customer and hand to hand. Contrary to what people think, the almajiri usually had more than enough to eat but we ate like swine; unhealthy and without control.

There was a very beefy fellow eating a fat meal. He had so many pieces of meat in his soup which attracted some of us; I especially had had the rare opportunity of eating meat and fish many a time. This would happen when some people barely touched their food before passing it to us. I had often wondered then why some people would eat only little food and be satisfied. Ali had also wondered too. He had told me once that he had never had a full stomach.

He would emphasize further that until his hand got tired of conveying the food from the plate to his mouth, he would always continue to eat.

The beefy fellow at Mama Nassarawa made me have a rethink that day. He was eating pounded yam. Ali and I fixed our eyes on him. Suddenly, I noticed something rather strange. This fat customer was drooling like a toddler.

Saliva dropped from his mouth into his soup as if there was a burst tap in his throat. We were supposed to take a dive for the leftover of that food! Mere looking at him made me sick.

“Ali, can you see what is happening?” I muffled. “Can you see the way that man’s saliva fall freely into his soup?” Ali smiled. “Abubakar, I am really shocked at what you are saying.” Do you mean to tell me that you haven’t seen something like this before?

I can swear by my life that most of these people there are sick. And because we eat what they leave behind, we are very likely to share in their misfortune since most illnesses are contagious. Abu, we are walking corpses.”

His response gave me goose pimples. That was the day Ali and I made up our minds to go out there and change our stories and destinies. In life, Allah gives us all equal opportunities. He gives us same air to breath and same time; twenty four hours daily to live in.

No one has more time than others. What we do with the time and how we choose to breath is dependent on the choices we make. Some make good choices and others don’t.

“Ali,” I muttered coldly, “may Allay forbid that I eat the leftover food from that man.” For the first time since we became friends, Ali hugged me. “Abu, you have said a noble thing. If you mean what you have said then we must elope. We must leave now. There’s nothing as sweet as freedom.”We both separated from the other boys that day and threw our beggarly bowls away.

That night, we found a Dangote trailer which was about leaving for Lagos. It had just the driver and his conductors. Ali and I sneaked into it when no one was watching and in no time, our journey out of Kano began. It was not until we got to Suleja that the driver and his conductor found us in their vehicle. They had stopped along the Abuja-Kaduna Road to refuel and eat. It was past ten. The conductor pointed his torch and saw us sleeping in a corner.

“Subanalahi!” he exclaimed rather surprisingly. “Ahmadu come and see these miserable elements sleeping in our vehicle.” The driver climbed up and found Ali and me in the truck. I was shocked when he asked if we had eaten.

Ali and I replied in unison that we had not eaten. He ordered us to climb down the truck. We followed them to a food vendor’s place where he bought us good food. It was the very first time that we would be having such good meals without begging for it.

After we had told him our story, he advised that we find a mosque in Suleja to spend the night. “If you go to Lagos, you will suffer. The people there will not help you. They will tell you to go to your parents.

You are still in the north. People here will understand why you are out of school at this age. This is why you should be here and not in Lagos. I will advise that you get shoe shining kits and begin to render services to people.

Whatever you make could feed you and you will have a little to save for school.”He gave us two hundred naira each and reiterated that we must use it wisely. The money at that time was big. How Ahmadu understood us and promptly decided to come to our aid still baffles me to this day. When their vehicle left, we spent the night at Kaduna Road on a plank beside a parked lorry.

At dawn, we went to a nearby stream and bathed. It really felt so good that day because it seemed we were no longer under anyone who would dictate for us. That day, we found some cobblers and they told us how to go about getting all the kits and how to do the job. In three days, we were already dexterous shoe shiners. Days later, we were brilliant cobblers. On our twelfth day on the job, an Igbo trader whom we went to his house to polish his shoes – nineteen pieces in all – took pity on Ali and me and ask a few questions.

“You people are too young to do this job you are doing,” he said. “Don’t you have plans to go to school?” Ali and I told him that we had already bought all our note books. “It’s our uniforms that are left for us to buy,” I told him.

He was leaning on his car and from the way he kept nodding; it was obvious that he was impressed with what we’d told him. He insisted we show him the books we had bought. Ali quickly ran to the shop where we had already paid for the books but were yet to be supplied to fetch them

In no time, he was back with them. That day after we had finished polishing his shoes, Mr. Okafor gave us money to buy our uniforms. He said he would have taken us and given us a place to stay but that we were too young and he could be accused of abduction.

“Come here when your uniforms are ready,” he told us. That was how Allah used Mr. Okafor to change our story in 1992. He took us to a public primary school and registered us.

Some people are angels and when you are lucky to meet them, they don’t care what your tribe or religion is before they choose to help you. Mr. Okafor was such a person. Ali and I began to sleep in one of his warehouses at night with some of his workers – mostly Hausas who help to offload his goods. His wife treated us like her own children. She would give us food and some of her children’s old clothes. Tragedy struck in the year2004 when Ali and I were at ABU Zaria.

Mr. Okafor had an accident on his way to his village and died. I thought this would affect us but Obinna, his eldest son took over his fabric business and still carried on as if nothing had happened.

The relationship we had with the family blossomed. When we returned from school, we would work in one of their warehouses until the holiday was over. There was never a time we called Obinna and told him we needed money and he didn’t respond.

After my service in 2010, I joined the custom service while Ali through one of his friends whom he met in school became a politician. He is a lawmaker in his state house of assembly. He is doing great. We are both doing great and still good friends.

And we are still very close to the Okafors. Ours is a relationship that would last until the day Allah calls us. Our story has taught me that the saying ‘man is the architect of his own fortune,’ is very true.

And also, when there’s a will, there surely will be a way. Don’t let anyone deceive you, there is light of every dark tunnel for everyone. We only remain in the darkness of the tunnel because we are just too scared to approach the light. if we make a move, we surely would be out of the tunnel. I got married in 2015 and Obinna and his mother attended the wedding. They were also in Ali’s wedding too a year before.

When we fight over tribe or religion, we do so because we are largely ignorant of our existence and how Allah can use us as angels to help one another. Humanity should always count because we are all one and the same.

It is needless for us to keep pointing guns and raising daggers at one another. THE ALMAJIRI by Japheth Prosper.(a true story)

Disclaimer: This is not my story. It is a story written by a writer called Japheth Prosper. I found it very inspiring and decided to share it here. I hope you all find it useful too.

And so?

Damn Niggarr

Indi Igbo Amaka

DrGoodman:
And so?

be a real Niggarr

worthy of emulation

DamnnNiggarr:
Damn Niggarr

ndi Igbo Amaka a real Niggarr

We do this every time. It shouldn't be news anymore.

If it were Igbo man killed Almajiri this would have been front page

Nigeria has fashioned its mentality to be anti-igbo

Yet they have fought to keep Igbos they hate within Nigeria

That Igbo family is a real Patriots....





Igbo is the ECONOMY of Nigerian market ...Most traveled tribe in the world... U hardly see use juju to sell their markets...God blessed them with biz skills... IGBO people una dey try ...make una try humble small o, because others dey vex say una dey enter people states dey blow just like that and una still wan talk where Dem dey talk, abeg make una wise oo

Tears in my eyes...

Note: I read from start to finish.

Lessons:

1. Religion is a means of moral and political subjugation in the North. Not like the Mallams in-charge of these Almajiris are aware of it, as they too are, most times, product of such upbringing where daring to think differently is considered blasphemous just like Ali was whipped for asking questions.

2. The Igbo man is not interested in dominating you and is naturally kind and detribalized. The success of the Igbo man is what has always been intimidating. But if you look closely, the Igbo man doesn't want anything more than continuing his business in a friendly and unhindered environment.

Trust me, there wouldn't have been quest for Biafra and/or Igbo Presidency if the Igbo man believes he is getting his fair share in our shared union. But a situation where the Igbo man would have to pay millions of naira just to get Federal employment while the Hausa man only has to speak Hausa to get same employment, is what is unacceptable.

A situation where the entire Igbo land is treated like an abandoned war zone without an Federal government projects since the war ended, is tears-inducing.

Right now, I think we have come too far to go back. The mutual mistrust is too much. The North seems to delight in war mongering and would waste no time in sniffing life out of you. The Yoruba too, seem to delight in the suffering of Ndigbo.

Nigeria can be down, if that's what will keep the East down.

How long will we continue in that circle?

I envy Igbos too much

The best story I have read here in months.

My mom is a living example of a selfless Nigerian. Yoruba, fulanis, Igbo, Tapa are one and the same to her. The way she feeds the hungry and takes care of destitutes around her irrespective of tribe is a thing of wonder. Very humble to the core. God bless all good people out there

Let me remove my mask b4 i comments

Nice story but not the kind yorubas want to hear.

You see how they avoided the thread, if Ali and his friend had insulted the Ibos, helinues and his yoruba brothers like minorityopinion, oyatz, thatfairguy, simplyleo etc will be battling for 'first to comment' spot.

AhoadaRivers:
Nice story but not the kind yorubas want to hear.

You see how they avoided the threads, if Ali and his friend had insulted the Ibos. Helinues and his yoruna brothers like minorityopinion, oyatz, thatfairguy, simplyleo etc will be battling for 'first to comment' spot.

Igbo amaka. This is the kinda of news we want from biafra. Not Kanu said this or that. Some igbo can be extremely kind. I've witnessed it.

The Igbo man didn't mind that they weren't his brothers. He saw them first as humans, not minding their tribe and religion. That was a very good gesture from that family.

It can only be done by igbo

Inspirational post

Very touching story. This is the true Igbo spirit. Patriotic to the core but some people want to paint an otherwise different picture. You see them in different regions doing their business and living happily with their host. God bless them.

Gffh

I have noticed a very sad development being carried out by some people here and I wish to bring that to your notice

I wish to bring to the notice of all nairalanders that there are some imposters posing as Igbos with the sole intent of dividing us and the South South.. I have noticed the schemes of some monickers who hide under the cloak of being Igbos to sabotage the buoyant relationship that exists between the South East and the South south. These monickers are relentlessly trying to bring disunity between Igbos and South south states especially Rivers state.

I do not know the reason for this their malevolent acts but I just want us all to be wary of their machinations and not fall victim of their tricks.

These monickers include Crixx, Kìnematics, KINEMATÌCZ, RIVERS1stson, Portharcourt1stsòn etc

Say No To Divide And Rule

South East and South South Are One

AhoadaRivers:
Nice story but not the kind yorubas want to hear.

You see how they avoided the thread, if Ali and his friend had insulted the Ibos, helinues and his yoruba brothers like minorityopinion, oyatz, thatfairguy, simplyleo etc will be battling for 'first to comment' spot.

If only be seun can ban them and their IPs, it would go a long way in sanitizing this forum.

BlueBanana:
I have noticed a very sad development being carried out by some people here and I wish to bring that to your notice

I wish to bring to the notice of all nairalanders that there are some imposters posing as Igbos with the sole intent of dividing us and the South South.. I have noticed the schemes of some monickers who hide under the cloak of being Igbos to sabotage the buoyant relationship that exists between the South East and the South south. These monickers are relentlessly trying to bring disunity between Igbos and South south states especially Rivers state.

I do not know the reason for this their malevolent acts but I just want us all to be wary of their machinations and not fall victim of their tricks.

These monickers include Crixx, Kìnematics, KINEMATÌCZ, RIVERS1stson, Portharcourt1stsòn etc

Say No To Divide And Rule

South East and South South Are One

Liv Dem! You think it's easy what they do? They bear burning sulphur on their heads.

see how the ibo man helped them without forcing them to convert or change their language, to tell u this wrong stories they have been telling about ibos re not real but lies..

I travelled to Nimo in Abaagana , ogono street, Akubue's family , I met a boy a Hausa/Fulani whom an igbo woman took in, when she went to the north for census the parents gave her the boy.. Walahi the boy speaks Igbo language fluently...




Igbo Amaka

The only way we should know the quality of each ethnicity in Nigeria is disintegration. There would have long lines of people at the border who are determined to enter Republic of Igbo land. The Nigeria is a bad news to everybody in it.

Say no to tribal war.
It is denying our collective growth.

AhoadaRivers:
Nice story but not the kind yorubas want to hear.

You see how they avoided the thread, if Ali and his friend had insulted the Ibos, helinues and his yoruba brothers like minorityopinion, oyatz, thatfairguy, simplyleo etc will be battling for 'first to comment' spot.

Once in a blue moon
Meanwhile, Igbo amaka

Gandollar:
If only be seun can ban them and their IPs, it would go a long way in sanitizing this forum.

Nah so we dey pepper una? Why would non indegene (a Biafran as that) wants Nigerian ban on NIGERIA forum (Nairaland)?