A former Special Adviser to former President Shehu Aliyu Shagari on Political Matters, Alhaji Salihu Tanko Yakasai, has said that unless the federal, state and local governments join forces and face the Almajiri phenomenon seriously, the trend would not be stopped for many years to come.
Speaking to Daily Trust in Kano yesterday, Yakasai said the Almajiri trend needed a holistic approach and that government at all levels must
play their roles appropriately, as anything short of that continued to be the case, the system would continue to defy efforts to tackle it.
He said the ‘fire brigade approach’ adopted by the Kano State Government to stop the trend by arresting and sending Almajirai to their respective states would only aggravate things.
“If you arrest Almajirai in Kano and deport them to their respective states, what will happen to others that are roaming the streets in Zaria, Bauchi, Sokoto and Zamfara? So, unless governments of northern states and the federal government come together and face this issue with all seriousness, we cannot solve the problem.”
The former political adviser said since the system had become a tradition in the North, government should come in and synchronize it with western education.
“The Almajiri school programme introduced by the immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan is the best way of addressing the Almajiri trend. Unfortunately, the programme has been abandoned halfway,” he said.
He said it was not something that could be stopped overnight, advising that northern governors should set a target for themselves within which to address the problem.
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