Sokoto State commissioner for religious affairs, Sheikh Jabir Sani Maihulla, has said that the World Bank is investing $120 million to tackle the Almajirai and out-of-school children menace in the northern region.
However, the commissioner said the Almajiri phenomenon has gone beyond the state and federal governments and can only be addressed through collaboration efforts.
“That is why the World Bank is investing $120 million in northern Nigeria to address the Almajirai and other out-of-school children challenge.
“The lingering issue cannot be tackled even if all the state’s resources are invested; the system cannot change it.
“Even the federal government cannot do it alone; it has to be a collaborative effort with other donor agencies, including international ones.
“In Sokoto, there are three standard Almajiri schools, including the one in the Gagi area that belongs to the federal government while the two others belong to the state government under the state Ministry for Religious Affairs, located in Dange Shuni and Wamakko local government areas of the state.”
The commissioner also emphasised that the Almajiri Schools in the state are the most consuming projects of the Ministry for Religious Affairs.
“Because the ministry took Almajiri from nowhere, we accommodated them, fed them daily, and taught them integrated education.
“However, the state governor has directed the state Ministry for Religious Affairs to collaborate with the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to establish more Almajiri Schools to accommodate the out-of-school children roaming our streets,” he stated.
To achieve this, the ministry conducted a survey, where the statistics and origin of the children were collated and ascertained.
