National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) in conjunction with voluntary organisations has urged President Muhammadu Buhari, Senate President and others to fast track the enactment of Almajiri Education Law.
NCYN chairman, Sokoto State chapter, Malam Yakubu Abubakar, who made the call at a joint press conference in Sokoto, appealed for the passage of Almajiri Education and Out of School Children Bill, initiated and sponsored by Hon Balarabe Kakale (PDP Sokoto) along with 17 other lawmakers.
He said the passage of the bill into law would ensure that the government provides a multimodal system of education that would tackle the menace of illiteracy, develop skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes.
Abubakar said, “The speedy passage by the Senate and assent by President Buhari, would prevent youth poverty, delinquency and destitution as well as related ills in Nigeria.
”We are also calling on the federal government to engage Nigerian youths in the implementation of the law and northern states government especially, to domesticate the law in their respective states.”
The groups commended Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State for sending the Executive Bill on Almajiri Education to the state Assembly.
In a goodwill message, the district head of Gagi, Alhaji Sani Umar-Jabbi, who described the moves as timely, attributed the rising cases of out of school children to poverty, parental neglects, poor adherence to family planning, population upsurge, misconceptions, insecurity and others.
He lamented that the recent poverty index released where Sokoto was rated higher on poverty did not reflect Qur’anic education as many citizens in Sokoto State can read Arabic alphabets popularly called Ajami system.