The Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum and Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has called for decisive action to tackle the longstanding challenges of the almajiri system in Northern Nigeria.
Sule made this call at the inaugural regional conference on population dynamics, security, climate change, out-of-school children, and vulnerable children in Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital.
The Governor stressed the need for the region to take responsibility for resolving the issue, warning that failure to address the almajiri crisis could lead to severe social unrest.
“It is a time bomb that could surpass the scale of the recent EndSARS protests. The almajiri problem is indeed a huge issue for us. It’s time we stopped complaining and took the bull by the horns to solve it ourselves,” he said.
The governor attributed the persistence of the almajiri problem to systemic failures and the neglect of parental responsibilities.
He highlighted the need to educate communities on Islamic teachings, emphasizing that it is a sin to have more children or spouses than one can care for.
He urged Northern leaders to stop relying on external assistance and to focus on finding homegrown solutions.