Wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has stressed that addressing the issues of Almajiri and out-of-school children is hugely challenging but not insurmountable.
She stated this on Friday when she received in audience the Executive Secretary and other members of the executives of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children at the State House, Abuja.
Mrs. Tinubu who noted that there is no harm in children seeking the knowledge of God and right so early, as this is expected to shape their outlook and conduct in life, however stated that the entire process must be properly regularised and monitored to avoid abuse.
Her words: “Yes, there is nothing wrong with seeking knowledge about God. To address the issue of Almajiri and these out-of-school children, is it huge, yes. It is challenging. And yes, it is not insurmountable.”.
The First Lady was of the opinion that all Imams and Ulamas involved in the Almajiri system must be properly registered and documented by the appropriate authorities, with a proviso that if they are not, they would not be allowed to practice.
She said this is one way of checking abuse on their part.
According to her, “People do not have the fear of God in them. They have exploited these vulnerable ones for too long. The schools you are proposing for them should be boarding schools where they can not only get educated about the Quran but also the formal education with skills acquisition. I advise that we take one day at a time. Take this one school and see that it works, then we move on from there.”
The visit was an opportunity for the First Lady to intimate her guests with the upcoming programme of the Renewed Hope Initiative which is tagged ‘Flow-With-Confidence Initiative’ aimed at keeping girls in school even during their monthly cycles.
Earlier in his address, Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, Dr. Muhammad Sani Idris, informed Mrs. Tinubu that, yet to be verified statistics of Almajiri and out-of-school children in Nigeria were 30 million and 18.5 million respectively which he pointed out, are very disheartening.
He also noted that a pilot scheme school will soon be established in Kaduna State where these children can learn the Quran, Arabic, English, skills and also be taught using a curriculum put together by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Idris explained that the commission intends to mop up eight million out-of-school children within the next two years and get them back to school.
He commended the President and the First Lady for their commitment and dedication to the cause of the ordinary Nigerian.
