From Ahmed SAKA, Bauchi
A renown Islamic Scholar Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi has warned Northern governors to stop doing any activity that will put Qur’anic pupils known as Almajiri in difficulty or the repercussions of their actions and calamities that will befall on them will be very dangerous.
Sheikh Dahiru gave the warning in Bauchi while speaking at the closing of this year Ramadan Tafsir, He said it’s against the laws of the land to allow anybody to go to any town seeking for education and exclude Qur’anic pupils and warned that whoever oppressed them will face the wrath of Allah.
He said repatriation of Almajiri is unconstitutional because they are Nigerians, and people went to Germany, the United States, England to seek for western education, but Almajiri is not allowed to come out from his village and seek for Qur’anic knowledge in urban areas what kind of discrimination and unfair treatment is this?
The Scholar said the constitution allowed all Nigerians without discrimination to live in the city they want and practice the religion of their choice without the hindrance of any kind and these Almajiri pupils are Nigerians why are depriving them of their constitutional rights.
READ ALSO: We will continue to repatriate Almajirai – Northern Governor’s
Sheikh Dahiru said the enmity between Qur’anic students and western education students started during colonial eras when colonial masters deliberately created the enmity because they know if a western student person ties with Qur’anic students if he wants to do something bad they will stop him by telling what Allah commands since then songs of enmity is being sung among pupils in Nigeria and whenever western education got the slightest chance they tried to persecute Almajiri and it’s not fair.
The Scholar who recites verses from the Holy Qur’an on how Allah will punish whoever oppressed Almajiri said they are shepherds of Allah seeking food on Allah’s lands and they didn’t go to Government Houses to beg for food or the house of any Minister to beg for the food they use to go to the house of their fellow human beings who want to invest in the hear after.
He warned the governors to stop their repatriation or doing anything that will put them in difficulty or else they will face the consequences from almighty Allah.
Masha Allah Ya Shaikh, may Allah keep you healthy to speak the truth to those in authority. I pray Their Excellencies, the Northern Governors, will heed and redress the situation. Every one agrees with them that we must reform the Almajiri System but what is happening now is persecution. There is no need for the Almajiri System to be absorbed into the Boko System. These are two different systems operating under different paradigms. They should be allowed to run in parallel with standardization of curriculum, and up-skilling the Almajiri schools so that the begging that cropped in just 70 years ago can be expunged. Malaysia and Morocco have done it very well and with support from Governments, this can be replicated in Nigeria so that the Almajiri becomes an asset to national development, filling in the existing skills gaps in Iron Bending, Plaster of Paris, Tiling and Decorative Arts, Cap and Sisal Weaving, Plumbing and fittings, Painting, Electrical Wiring, Aluminum Joinery, Welding and Fabrication, Carpentry, Automobile Repairs, Panel Beating, Vulcanizer, Pottery arts and crafts, Flower Breeding and Landscaping, etc.