Almajiri and Out-of-School Children: Should Nigerians Wish for Another Lockdown?

Kuni Tyessi writes that in the heat of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic, northern governors placed a ban on the almajiri system in order to curb the spread of the virus. Beyond the primary aim of the ban were positive results which did not only stall the spread but made it easier for UNICEF and other partners to reach out to the minors with life-saving and long-term mechanisms

It Is no longer news that the federal government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, as well as basic education parastatals, have been inundated with cases of the almajiri system and out-of-school children. 

They have been neck-deep in searching for the best way to get the minors in their millions off the streets, or better still, equipped with knowledge and tools to make them self-reliant- a reason to stay away from drugs, all forms of criminalities and the place of early marriage in the lives of the adolescent out-of-school girls as the case may be. The vulnerability they are exposed to is another reason they have also been referred to as “children outside family care.”

Without condemning the almajiri system or casting aspersion at it in any way, it is important to note that this style of education can be traced as far back as 1100. For the records, the grandfather of the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote, was also an almajiri who built a business empire which inspired his grandson- an employer of several thousands of workers. 

However, the system has today been abused and politicised, with the children not been given their commensurate rights as enshrined in the child rights charter and also in the constitution. This example is proof that responsibility, accountability and the ability to contribute one’s quota to nation-building must not find roots within the walls of a classroom but in deliberate commitment towards doing that which is right- and in this case, the deliberate role of the government and stakeholders in the adoption of a political will.

With the lockdown and the spirit of inclusivity with the global rights of education for every child as a guide, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with support from the ELEVA Foundation, supported five states to give the children a new lease of life. 

The states, which include Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa and Sokoto, recorded unprecedented successes with the intervention, as the about 13,000 children, ranging from four to 18 years, not only get reunited with their families but received cash transfer initiatives for psychosocial support, birth registration services, and access to formal education, among others. 

This was after it had carried out through investigation to ascertain why the case of almajiri and out-of-school children had continued unabated, and taking the stance of a hydra-monster despite huge investments for several years. This means that the method of operation needs to change or pass through modification for effective results. 

To its dismay and in answer to its inquisition, UNICEF discovered that the almajiri system and out-of-school children were all not Nigerians but had additions from four neighbouring countries: Niger- with 418, Cameroon with 154, Chad with 52, while Nigeria had 304,477.

With the intervention, which left the beneficiaries with diverse evidence of change and growth, one begins to wonder if another pandemic or epidemic in the case of Nigeria should not be sought after if results like the ones recorded in the five benefiting pilot states will be achieved again, and even more. 

In the presentation titled ‘Transformative actions to address the situation of almajiri children outside of family care, and out-of-school adolescents in northwest Nigeria’, UNICEF child protection specialist Godwin Odo revealed that so far in 2025, the children of the lockdown as far as the almajiri system and out-of-school children is concerned, beneficiaries of care services life skills sessions and psychosocial support including referrals total 69,821 of which 41,473 are boys and 28,248 are girls. Kaduna has the highest number, with 32,099 beneficiaries, of which 19,507 are boys and 12,592 are girls. On the other hand, Kano is the lowest in terms of beneficiaries, and yet, the number is pegged at 6,277, out of which 3,155 are boys and 3,122 are girls. 

With the successes recorded, it is expected that the government at all levels and relevant stakeholders will take a cue from the children’s international body and learn its ways of imbibing and adopting ingredients that have helped in the achievement of its success stories.

Despite being on the concurrent list and with each state government having the power to determine the destiny of its children within school age, it is not out of place to call on the government to develop and implement a workable multi-sectoral and gender-responsive plan with the aim of giving the challenge the needed attention. 

With this in motion, Odo, who spoke in Sokoto during a two-day interactive session with the media towards closing the gap that lack of formal education or skills acquisition could cause in the lives of out-of-school children, with emphasis on adolescent girls, said with a Memorandum of Understanding to serve as a guide towards the success of the multi-sectoral approach, more wins will be recorded. This will strengthen existing policies and encourage more structural changes through institutional partnerships.

Acknowledging that it is a gradual process with huge dividends for the country, he stated that despite existing directives in terms of regulations and standards on the establishment of Quranic schools, the journey ahead might suffer an eclipse without the inclusion of oversight functions by the Arabic and Islamic Education Board. Although gazetted, the effects of the board are yet to be felt, and the sooner its contributions are seen and felt, the better it will be for the nation and the northern region in particular. 

With the under-listed in motion, the government is to develop an implementable standard for providing alternative care for children, particularly those out of the reach of family care and adolescent out-of-school girls. Therefore, gender transformative actions addressing the core situations of the girls must be developed. This will scale up the girls’ skills agency and empowerment and improve an enabling environment, family and community mobilisation. Also, gender norms, stereotypes and inequalities will be addressed.

This is not forgetting the aspect of enlarging the he-for-she approach by engaging men and boys and taking them along in the journey of empowering adolescent out-of-school girls. With this, there is the need to scale up data and improve systems and services.

Until the aforementioned has been looked into and addressed with strict supervision, the journey to stemming the tide of the almajiri system and out-of-school children will remain as wishful thoughts that will encourage the secret prayers of another national lockdown.