The immediate past Comptroller General (CG) of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has criticized the continued practice of the old Almajiri education system in the northern part of Nigeria.
Mr. Babandede, who linked the practice to growing security challenges in some parts of the country, said this in Abuja on Tuesday during a presentation by the “Sure For You Rescue and Resettlement Initiative (SURE 4U)”, a non-profit organization government founded by him.
He said the NGO will focus on providing the educational and material needs of street children, refugees and deportees from other countries.
almajiri system
Described as a traditional and non-formal system of Islamic education, almajiri system It is said that he subjects his students to being left in the care of their teachers, also known as Mallams.
The Mallams then allow pupils to roam the streets begging, begging for food, and sometimes providing menial labor for teachers or members of the public as a means of survival.
This education system is found mainly in the northern part of Nigeria.
Babandede said that Nigeria needs to take care of the children on the streets, soften their hearts and take care of them before they become criminals in the future.
He noted that security agencies alone cannot solve the security problems the country is currently facing, and said that was one of the reasons he founded the NGO.
Babanded accused Nigerian politicians of improving the Almajiri system and said they have not condemned him for his political gains.
Inauguration of SURE 4U, an NGO of the former head of Immigration, Babandede
“Politicians must stop fooling us. Because they want votes from the Mallams (Almajiri school teachers), they will never criticize the Almajiri system. We’re saying that’s not the right thing to do,” he said.
He added that SURE 4U will prioritize the education of vulnerable children, including almajiri and orphans, as well as deportees from countries, especially the Middle East.
He said; “Almajiri is a shameful culture in the north. If you can’t say it (because) you’re a big man, I’m saying it. We cannot allow children to go outside to ask for food with a container that is not washed.
“These are the people who have no mercy on us when they see us on the road, because they have no parental love. Nobody loved them when they were children.
“Law enforcement alone cannot combat these crimes. Civil Societies need to help them. We need to soften children’s hearts now before they become criminals.”
The organization also unveiled its seven-member Board of Trustees chaired by Usman Kibiya, a former member of the Nigerian Senate.
Others on the board include Carol Ndaguba, Habiba Lawal, Garba Baba, Tola Sogbesan, Jamil Shittu, and Shamsudeen Muhammad.
Minister speaks
Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning Clem Agba said the organization was founded on the same principle that Babandede had worked on since his days at the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and NIS.
Mr. Agba therefore urged international organizations and donors to provide support for the NGO’s work.
He also called on NGOs to support the government’s fight against terrorism, banditry and all forms of crime “by ensuring that they do not engage in activities that undermine the country’s sovereignty and national security.”
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He said: “The experience accumulated by the founder while he was with NAPTIP and the immigration service will certainly be useful in meeting the objectives of the organization.
“Many NGOs find it difficult to obtain sufficient and continuous funding for their work. Gaining access to the appropriate donors is an important component of this challenge and I look forward to donor agencies and international partners collaborating with this promising NGO to achieve these goals.”
The inauguration was witnessed by the Chief of the Naval Staff, Awwal Gambo, and representatives of the NIS Comptroller General, the Minister of the Interior, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Netherlands and Spain.
In his presentation, a SURE 4U program officer, Shuaibu Abdullahi, noted that NASCO Foods supported the organization’s pilot intervention program at a Tsangaya school in Jahun, Jigawa state, between July 22-23.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter for Premium Times in partnership with report to the worldthat unites local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on hidden topics around the world.