Minister, NGO seek urgent actions on plights of Almajiri children

The Federal Government and the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative are seeking urgent actions in addressing the plights of Almajiri children and the menace associated with them, especially in northern states of the country where the practice is prominent.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen − represented by the Director of Child Development in the ministry, Ali Maidugu − made this charge on Thursday in Abuja during the event commemorating the Almajiri Child Rights Day 2023 with the theme ‘Transformative action to address situations of Almajiri children in northern Nigeria’.

Maidugu lamented that the values of the Almajiri system have degraded both for the children and for their caregivers, therefore exposing the children to all forms of vulnerability. In light of this, he added that reducing the religious essence of the system and its socio-economic implication is necessary, especially now the country is faced with challenging economic realities.

On the other hand, he noted that while stakeholders are working to proffer solutions to the Almajiri problems, the Federal Government has set up other programmes such as the Alternate School Programme for out-of-school children, especially for the Almajiris.

He further noted that the Home Grown School Feeding Programme is another way to encourage enrolment, retention, and graduation of primary school and junior secondary school pupils.

The Executive Director of the Almajiri Child Rights Initiative (ACRI), Mohammed Keana, said the event was aimed at raising awareness of the urgent need for transformative actions to address the plight of Almajiri children in northern Nigeria.

ACRI agreed that though the Federal Government has made commendable efforts in the past to address Almajiri issues through various policies and initiatives, the system has long been a subject of concern due to the adverse conditions it often subjects children to, including inadequate access to education, health, and basic social services.

With the theme of this year’s Almajiri Child Rights Day in mind, Keana stressed the need for a thorough and sustainable strategy to address the problems facing the children, adding that much work still needs to be done to ensure that the rights and well-being of Almajiri children are secured.

“We call upon the new government to prioritise this pressing issue and increase investment in education, particularly in rural areas,” he said. “By investing in education at the grassroots level, we can provide Almajiri children with the opportunity for a brighter future and a path to contribute positively to society.”

Keana emphasised the importance of cross-sectoral collaboration to achieve sustainable change, which should include partnerships with religious and community leaders who play important roles in shaping societal attitudes and practices.

“Let us work together to create a society where every child, regardless of their background, has an equal opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential,” he said.

Present at the event were the Country Representative of UNICEF in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate; the CEO of Systems Strategy and Policy Lab, Mohammed Adogi; the Polish Ambassador to Nigeria, Joanna Tarnawska; the CEO of Illimi Children Fund, Maryam Abdulmumini; Education Advisor of FCDO, Dr Mikail Ibrahim; Founder of Laylah Foundation, Laylah Othman; Project Officer of IOM, Amira Bellounis; among others.

Organisations represented were Save the Children, Plan International, the MacArthur Foundation, USAID, Global Rights, Flexisaf Foundation, Child Solidarity Group, Connected Development (CODE), WEADI, among others.