Almajiri symbol: The flipside.

- Gilbert Joseph.

The historical perspective to the almajiri system, "Islamically" stems from the Hijrah of Prophet Mohammed from Mecca to Medina.
The disciples who together with the Prophet were known and called 'Al-Muhajirrun', which translates as migrants. In Nigeria however, the word signifies a seeker of knowledge. It is then used to describe "migrants who seek Islamic knowledge away from their normal domicile especially in the North. In line with the ideology that 'the best man among you is one who learns Quran and teaches it', the practice became imperative and therefore, was " pure and unadulterated", including working as planned. The mallams who taught almajiris relied solely on the Zakat (alms) which was then managed by the state upon collection. The arrangement which underscores the early phase of Islamic Education in Northern Nigeria unfortunately diminished the status of the mallams (teachers in almajiri school setup) to mere beggars who lived at the mercy of the community.
                   

    Matter-of-factly, the advent of colonialism further aggravated things. The British colonial masters first according to records faced stiff resistance from the Hausa Emirs, they therefore attacked the area, particularly Kano and executed a large portion of Emirs, their devotees and subsequently, sent few into exile. The Emirs became mere figure heads and subterfuges. They lost major control of the almajiri system. The colonialists intentionally abrogated state financing of the almajiri programme by pointing out that they were religious schools. With the lost of funding, the system transformed into unfiguratively dilapidated and ramshackled institutions with no significance in the eyes of government. Otherwise, it would have garnered the much needed attention from especially the Northern Governors' Forum. Apparently, these developments inadvertently transqueued the students of the almajiri schools into what the streets in towns and villages have become. Eventually, begging which Islam forbids, scavanging, restiveness, destitution, drug abuse, and vice instead of virtue are not unconnected with the practice. While the North Western states of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina and particularly, Zamfara have become theatres of armed-banditry, kidnapping, civil unrest, cattle rustling amongst others, these may be key indicators to the negative effects of neglect of the almajiri system. With these obtainable, it becomes practically impossible for the North to sleep with two eyes closed.
    In the previous digest, an urge for the North to search its soul was recommended. Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state has made history by ensuring the abolition of the practice in Sokoto state, on the 6th of June, 2019. He deserves and applause. For the fact the almajiri philosophy is strongly tied to Islamic religion, the hunt for a way out must first and foremost be charted by the major stakeholders in this regard for other players to follow suit. The authorities must rise with the speed of light. Strong recommendations on alternatives such as that of the UBE should be popularized and adopted, statements on the adoption of these children should be issued and heard,  likewise, clearcut methods on taking them out of the streets.
                 

    Summarily, while there has not been empirical facts on the linkage between the almajiri system in Northern Nigeria and violent actions, three conflicting narratives and or "hypotheses" have surfaced and resurfaced continouosly. The first has it that the almajiri system is an instrument of youth radicalization. The second argues that such claims are rather flawed and problematic. The third holds that relative deprivation and destitution are the main causes of radicalization among almajiris. Here, the most weighty and perhaps, school of thought deserving of attention is the third proposition. That being the case, the basic, natural and necessary ingredients of life, when denied can cause children of tender age to surrender to anything including crime just for survival. Since the Northern stakeholders especially the media agree on this phenomenon to a large extent, the other propositions may not hold water. It is not to end there. Gloves should get down to work to halt this cancer. Doing so will display for sure, a new economic symbol for both the North and Nigeria.


      
                                    Endnotes
Fafunwa, Babatunde."History of Nigerian education".Ibadan, Nigeria: Macmillan (1974).
Falola, Toyin, et al. A history of Nigeria. (Cambridge University Press, 2008).
Taiwo, Fowoyo. "Transforming the Almajiri Education for the Benefit of the Nigerian Society". Journal of Educational and Social Research 3, no.9 (2013):67.
Usman, Lantana M. " Assessing the Universal Basic Education Primary and Koranic schools' synergy for Almajiri street boys in Nigeria. International Journal for Educational Management 22, no.1 (2008):62-73.