Red card for Almajiris in Niger

By Wole Mosadomi Alms are for the poor who are confined in the way of Allah-they cannot go about in the land; the ignorant man thinks them to be rich on account of (their) abstaining (from begging; you cannot recognize them by their mark; they do not beg from men importunately; whatever good thing you spend, surely Allah knows” – Q 2:273. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) also says- “It is better for any one of you to get a rope, go behind the hill, collect firewood, put it in his back and sell it so that Allah (S.W.T.) will cover his secrets with the proceeds of that firewood. This is certainly more beneficial for him than begging from people, whether they give him something or not.” For many years now, the menace of begging involving mostly children in the name of ALMAJIRI has taken over towns and cities especially in the North. The menace has its negative consequences and implications for human and educational development in the region. While many Muslims including religious clerics say it is against Islam, some embrace and encourage it. However, in Niger State, Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has taken a bold step to eradicate the menace. While trying to do this, the governor has also provided the opportunity for the growth and maturing of a functional integration of the traditional quranic schools into the conventional western oriented school system. Our correspondent learnt that a committee set up by Aliyu and headed by first civilian governor of the state who is now the Emir of Suleja, Malam Muhammad Awwal Ibrahim, for the integration of quranic schools with western education school system had for long submitted its report to the governor with a white paper produced by the immediate past Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ibrahim Sule committee directing that the Ibrahim report be implemented. Some months ago, another 13-member committee was set up by the state governor to propose a policy framework to ban begging in Niger. The committee has the immediate past Commissioner for Information, now Commissioner for Agriculture, Professor Muhammed Kuta Yahaya, as chairman and the Head of Service, Alhaji Hamidu Kadi-Kuta, as secretary. The committee was said to have made contacts with Imams of Jumat mosques in the state, religious groups, proprietors/malams of quranic schools, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and several other stakeholders. So far, six categories of beggars have been identified by the committee: the destitute, the physically challenged, settled beggars, street wanderers (Almajiris), deceptive beggars and political vanguards. Between 2009 and now, there have been a rapid rise in the population of Almajiris in Niger, according to government records. In 2009, there were about 586,521 Almajiris in about 8,210 quranic schools in the state. In Minna alone, our correspondent gathered that there are 34 quranic/Islamiya schools with a population of about 5,338 Almajiris and 90% of them involved in begging. WHAT NEXT? Having identified the categories of beggars to be tackled, the state government is to implement the strategy. An implementation outfit to be known as Niger State Universal Integrated Quranic Education and Social Rehabilitation Commission is to be established to co-ordinate the policy on begging and the harmonization of existing policies such as the integration of Quranic and western education, as well as the process of teaching and learning the Quran and handling all matters related to the palliative measures to cushion the effects of the ban on begging in the state. Secretary of the committee, Kadi-Kuta, in an interview, said government has accepted most of the recommendations. He said they had an agreement with all the sects in the state that the way Almajiri is practised is not in tune with the teaching of Prophet Mohammed. He said Islam does not permit the type of Almajiri currently practised, saying government had analysed the implications of the committee’s recommendations in terms of funding and practical implementation. “To start with, we are addressing the issue from two perspectives. Dislodging Almajiris is just an aspect of the assignment, but addressing the issue which led to Almajirinci which actually is poverty is another. These Almajiris are on the streets not because they want to go begging but because they have something missing in their lives and the real source is from parents with regards to poverty. Government idea is to address the source of the problem, get to the root and address it accordingly,” the HOS said. He pointed out that one of the major steps taken is to put in place some cushions that will relief the pains of the dislodgement of the Almajiris and part of the programme is to ensure that the schools harbouring them are identified and their needs met. He said an understanding has been reached with malams so that the Almajiris would be fed in the schools where they are so as to discourage them from going to beg on the streets and that for the disabled, they are to be exposed to training and rehabilitated. According to him, however, while these steps are being taken, those concerned, including the Almajiris and their malams have an option to key into the programme or fall out. “The state government is not by this step driving anybody out of the state and so, nobody should insinuate that the Chief Servant is trying to inflict some pains on the learning and teaching of Islam at all. What Dr. Babangida Aliyu is trying to do is not only to eradicate the menace but also end up by providing the opportunity for the growth and nurturing of a functional integration of the traditional quranic schools into the conventional western oriented school system”. IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY About N400m is needed to implement the recommendations of the committee and that is as a short term measure. Kadi-Kuta said the state government intends to go into partnership with the Federal Government over the Almajiri schools built in the state and that SUBEB had taken over some schools, completed and furnished them to make them habitable. Already, he stated that the state House of Assembly has passed the law on begging on the streets, saying however that the governor put on hold the implementation until the basic items are in place. Kuta disclosed that the palliative steps adopted by government will be put in place before red card is issued to all the six categories of beggars identified and they include direct feeding of Almajiris in their schools, construction of classroom blocks in each of the 34 quranic schools in Minna, absorption of malams/alarammas into the teaching staff of the schools and payment of allowances and certification of the mllalams on modern management of their schools as private schools. - See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/red-card-almajiris-niger/#sthash.1Cpehqvn.dpuf