The Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared that the orphans of the insurgency are his children.
Abubakar made the statement on Saturday, at the Eid-el-fitr luncheon organized for students from the UK’s Jarma Academy in Sokoto state.
The Nigerian News Agency (NAN) reports that the school, which was started by a Sokoto-based philanthropist, Umarun Kwabo, has 171 orphans from Borno, Yobe and Sokoto states.
They include 117 orphans from Borno, 21 from Yobe and 33 from Sokoto, sponsored by the philanthropist to acquire their education at a tertiary institution.
According to the sultan, the children are no longer orphans because he is their father.
“We will continue to make sure that these children live comfortably, we are their parents and they are our children,” he said.
Mr. Abubakar also called on academics to provide more information on the need for society to support orphans.
“The gesture, if properly upheld by our society, will drastically reduce the unpleasant situation of rampant begging in our domains,” he said.
The sultan thanked the children’s sponsor, the Sokoto state government and others for continuing to support the initiative.
He called for sustained prayer from Nigerians for peace, unity and progress in the country.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who was represented by his Deputy, Munir Dan’iya, assured his administration’s commitment to supporting orphans.
He thanked Mr. Kwabo for upholding the initiative and called on other personalities to imitate the gesture, considering the bountiful reward from Allah Almighty.
Earlier, the school owner said the gesture was part of his commitment to encourage society to support orphans across the country.
“This initiative is a massage for all Nigerians. I am sure that no matter how little, one can help reduce the burden of a single orphan within society,” said Kwabo.
Additionally, Mohammed Maidoki, Chairman of the UK Jarma Board of Directors, thanked the sponsor for bringing responsibility for children to the tertiary institution.
Maidoki said that since then they had engaged in various skills acquisition programs including tailoring, phone repair and weaving. (YAYA)