We’re building an army that would overwhelm us if we neglect almajiris- SGF Boss Mustapha

Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, has said that the Almajiris will become an army that may overwhelm Nigerians in future if the government isn’t fast in thinking of how they can be catered for and properly developed.
Mr Mustapha’s statement was in reaction to the decision of some northern governors to ban the almajiri system as part of measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Almajiris are children in the Northern parts of the country who leave their homes in search of Islamic knowledge elsewhere. However, the Almajiri system has over the years been tainted, with thousands of such children roaming the streets as beggars and without any form of education.
Mr Mustapha’s statement was in reaction to the decision of some northern governors to ban the almajiri system as part of measures to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
At the daily briefing of the Presidential taskforce team in Abuja on Monday April 27, a reporter had asked if it was constitutional for state governors to move children against their wish, out of their states to the children’s states of origin due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Mustapha who is the chairman of the presidential task force on COVID-19, said the governors’ decision was in the best interest of the kids. He added that it is time Nigeria looks deeply into the proper development of these set of children.
“Most of them are minors. As a matter of fact, by the time they get to their teens they mature and become the Malams. And I think every government has a responsibility given to it by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I think section 14:1, to provide for the welfare and the security of its citizens,” he said.
And I believe that the governors that are taking this option have that at the back of their minds.