IT was meant to be a peaceful nationwide protest with the slogan ‘EndBadGovernance’ in Nigeria, but in most of the states in Northern Nigeria, it was more like an opportunity for the poor to show their grievances against the state through the only way they are familiar – looting and destruction.
The #EndBadGovernance protest provided an opportunity for the Almajiris, colloquially referring to any young person who begs on the streets and does not attend secular school, to vent their anger on the state and the rich amongst society.
Anger and hunger are a deadly combination that should not be allowed to fester in the minds of people. But in Nigeria, it has been allowed to germinate in the minds of the Northern youths for several decades. Now, at any given opportunity, they are ready to vent their anger against those that have failed them and left them to a fate of misery – their family, the state and the society.
What took place in Kano, Katsina, Niger, Maiduguri, Jigawa and Yobe States was not protest against bad governance. It was the release of pent-up anger against a system that has impoverished over 12 million youths. It was a cry against the exploitation of the masses by the rich and those who claim to be leaders in the North. But those actions (looting and destruction) were done out of ignorance fueled by the natural instinct to survive excruciating poverty.
When television stations started showing video clips of what was happening in Kano as early as 11am on the first day of the protests, it became clear that the pent-up anger of the Almajiris would be let loose on people’s properties and government-owned institutions. Youths as young as 12 years old simply constituted a mob and armed with stick and stone, attacked any property in sight. One of their early targets was the yet to be commissioned Digital Innovation Park in Kano built by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).
The ICT Park that was looted and later set ablaze was slated for commissioning this Thursday so that secondary school students who are on holiday could make use of the park to learn a thing or two about ICT and bring them up to speed with their colleagues in other parts of the country.
Six of such ICT Parks were to be constructed for each of the six geo-political zones in the country. In 2022 when the idea was conceived by the Umar Danbatta-led NCC, the organization felt that it would aid digital penetration across the country and assist in creating jobs among the teeming unemployed youths. Already, such parks have been commissioned in Abeokuta, Ogun State for the South West, Enugu for the South-East, Maiduguri for the North-East and Kano for the North West. The whole idea of establishing the Parks was to produce youths that can be self-reliant, generate employment for themselves and provide job opportunities for others.
But the Almajiri, many of whom have not had a decent meal in a long time, could not be bothered about information technology and job creation. Rather, they were more interested in anything that they could steal and resell for money to feed themselves. The looted Park, with a section of it set ablaze set a temporary end to the noble dream of turning young and vibrant youths in the North into tech experts in the near future. Even though it was not the only government institution that was looted and vandalized up North.
A pharmacist watched helplessly as his pharmaceutical shop was looted in the same Kano and by the same Almajiri, who were provided an opportunity to carry out their dastardly act by those who championed the ‘10 days of Rage Protest’ to vent their anger on the society.
Several private businesses were looted alongside many government institutions. It was so bad that traffic light indicators, as well as concrete slabs on drainage channels were broken so that they could extract the iron reinforcement in those slabs which they intend to sell in order to buy food to feed themselves. By the time the police moved in to calm frayed nerves, several government properties and private establishments have been vandalized, although over 250 miscreants were arrested and most of the looted items, recovered.
In Niger State, there was really no peaceful protests but an opportunity to loot and vandalize government properties. It was the same sad story in Katsina, Maiduguri, Kaduna State and Yobe State, where miscreants wrecked havoc. In Abuja, the Police and other security agents were on red alert for over 24 hours before they could prevent miscreants from looting Shoprite at Lugbe on Airport Road. Hunger and anger at its peak.
After several years of neglects and the I-don’t-care-attitude of most northern leaders, it is now glaring that we are all sitting on a keg of gun-powder. Did we need to say more why the Boko Haram crisis is yet to abate a decade after it started? There is no way a society will grow when you give birth to a child and throw such a child unto the streets in the name of getting Qur’anic education.
This was not the intention of the Almajiri system of education and leaders in the North should cover the heads in shame. The word Almajiri was borrowed from the Arabic Language, specifically derived from the word ‘Al-muhajir’, meaning an emigrant. In this case, one who migrates from his home in search of Qur’anic knowledge.
During the pre-colonial era, the Almajiri Education System, originally called the Tsangaya was established under the Kanem-Borno Empire, one of the oldest ruling empires in the world, extending from the frontiers of Northern Nigeria across the Chadian region up to the borders of Libya. It was established as an organized and comprehensive system of education for learning Islamic principles, values, jurisprudence and ultimately the recitation and memorization of the Qur’an, and they became basic Islamic learning centres in all Muslim communities. At that time, the system was funded through the state treasury as well as Zakat funds, and was under the control of the Emirs of the traditional government system that existed before the coming of the British.
Since Islam encourages charity to a wayfarer and to a student of learning, the community also readily supported these Almajiri who mostly came from faraway places to enroll in the Tsangaya schools. In return, the Almajiris offered services such as laundry, cobbling, gardening, weaving, etc, as charity to the community that contributed to their well-being; hence they gave back to the society, what the society gave to them as reciprocal gestures. That was when the Almajiri System was at its zenith.
Today, on a daily basis, what we see are children roaming about the streets in tattered clothing, bare feet, extremely dirty- looking, malnourished children with dry lips and dry faces with rashes all over their heads and bodies. They move in groups from house to house, street to street, looking for what to eat. You will find them everywhere all in the name of Almajiri in most of the northern states. Now, they have become a burden as well as nuisance to the society.
It is really sad when you see these boys hungry in market places, car parks, restaurants, supermarkets including churches and mosques, begging for food.
These victims of neglect are also victims of exploitation. Many give them leftovers out of sympathy or after exploiting them for menial jobs. Some amongst them have resorted to pushing wheelbarrows to earn a living.
It is now an established fact that the Almajiri system has deviated from its original purpose and is currently giving Islam a bad name.
The Goodluck Jonathan administration came up with an innovative way of giving these lads western education, which would also incorporate Qur’anic education, but many Northern leaders turned their noses on him. His Almajiri School education programme died immediately Jonathan was out of power. Any sort of Western education was frowned upon by many of the Northern leaders. Yet, they send their own wards to the best schools outside the shores of the country. They knew that once the people are educated, their liberation from oppression is on the way.
One of their own, Muhammadu Buhari, who took over from President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 was not really interested in getting western education for his people. Why should he be bothered? After all, he is barely educated himself. His economic policies were ill-fitting for the 21th century, and the Northern Governors and community leaders kept mute. They should not be the ones to castigate one of their own. They brought him to power through their massive votes and it would be out of place to disgrace him. That was the kind of politics we play in Nigeria. The once flourishing North soon became a shadow of its former self due to rising cases of banditry, kidnapping and terror-related attacks on the residents. The uneducated lot have now become ready-made weapons in the hands of insurgents.
The Almajiri’s hatred for the state and the rich is so glaring from the protests to the extent that what could not be stolen were destroyed. And do not be deceived that the arrest of some of the looters would resolve the crisis. It won’t. Many of the youths have lost hope of a better tomorrow and they are ready to do whatever it takes to put food in their stomachs.
Until we take education seriously in the North, I do not see a way out of our self-imposed quagmire. A country with over 12 million out-of-school children should be ready to face the consequences of its foolishness. The North is bleeding and requires urgent attention from those in government. We need to find a way to reduce the price of fuel, tackle insecurity and kidnapping, resolve the farmers/herder’s crisis, and President Bola Tinubu should speak directly with the youths by assuring them of a better tomorrow. Above all, primary and secondary school education should be compulsory and free all over the country. Without education, what is presently happening will be a child’s play in 10 years to come. By then, I hope the poor won’t have started devouring the rich.
- Akintunde is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Glittersonline newspaper. His syndicated column, Monday Discourse, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.