By Hassan Auwalu Muhammad

The high number of ‘Almajirai’ and out-of-school children in this country poses a significant threat to our future, especially with their increasing presence on the streets of Kano and other parts of the north. Wherever you go, particularly on the roadside, you will often see young boys or girls approaching cars, begging for food. This issue has become rampant, even among adults.

In these trying times, and with the cost of living soaring and the constant threat of kidnapping and missing children, some parents are sending their children to different parts of the country for ‘Makarantun Allo’ to pursue Qur’anic education. However, they often do this without understanding the potential risks to their children’s lives.

While It is not wrong to send your child to school to seek knowledge, but the problem arises when parents do not know their child’s situation at the school. Are they taking care of their daily needs, or do they assume that the teachers and townspeople will look after them? The answer is often no.

Many parents are unaware of the conditions their children face. They believe their children are under the good care of their scholars, fulfilling their educational purpose, which is often not the case. Additionally, some children living with their parents do not attend school because their parents are unaware of the importance of education.

These children in most cases grow up without respect for their parents, who do not take care of them or know their whereabouts. Many people, deliberately or not deliberately are not focused on these issues, or perhaps they believe that if a problem does not affect them directly, it is not their concern. If people, especially in the Northern region where this problem is severe, understood the threat we face, they would take action to resolve it before it worsens.

When President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration created the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, the current government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu continued with the trend by appointing a civil servant to lead the commission. Since then, things have started to improve.

The agency’s efforts which was actually designed to create a supportive environment for the ‘Almajirai’ and their scholars by providing study materials, healthcare facilities, and awareness programs to help them embrace modern methods of acquiring Qur’anic education. One initiative is the creation of MUSABAQA VILLAGE in some parts of the country.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Idris Muhammad Sani, along with dedicated staff like Malam Daha Tijjani and Nura Muhammad, actually deserve commendation for their efforts. They are consulting with ‘Alarammomi’ and experts in Qur’anic teaching, ensuring there’s no discrimination or bias among the scholars involved. And this inclusive approach, if sustained will contribute greatly to bring beneficial reforms to the Almajiri system for everyone’s future.

It is our hope that with the commission’s ongoing efforts, we can expect positive changes in the Almajiri system and out-of-school children’s education soon.

You can contact Hassan via: m.shareef1980@gmail.com

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By Bala Ibrahim.

Every job or service has its own hazard or hazards, depending on the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools and the environment of assignment. In Nigeria, the duties of the police are spelt out as follows:

The prevention and detection of crime. The apprehension of offenders. The preservation of law and order. And finally, but most importantly, the protection of life and property. However, for some reasons that seem bizarre, while the Police is assigned the duty of protecting the life and property of the citizenry, his own life is left exposed to the possibility of being harmed, all the time.The police ethics enjoins him or her to move around always with the following quote in mind:

“I will maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule, develop self-restraint, and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed, both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law and the regulations of my department and country”.

Last night, some Nigerians, the people of Kano state in particular, slept in agony, because of the sad story of a ghastly road accident, wherein at least five police officers attached to the Kano State Police Command were confirmed killed. According to the Kano police command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna, the auto accident occurred along the Kano-Zaria highway, in the wee hours of Tuesday. 11 others were also left with different degrees of injuries. SP Abdullahi said the accident happened around Karfi Village, Kura Local Government Area of Kano State, while the officers were on their way back to Kano from an official assignment. A trailer was attempting to reverse on the main road, and it rammed into the oncoming police vehicle.This is sad.

All the scriptures have told us, and we believe that indeed death is inevitable. Yes, every mortal shall die, but how he or she is going to die is the unknown. Some die peacefully in their sleep. Some die in the hospital. Some die as a result of over air-conditioning. Some die as a result of over feeding. While others die due to anxiety, occasioned by the over comfort of excessive accumulation of wealth, ill gotten wealth. They would all be classified as deaths, but some deaths come as tragedies, or even catastrophes, because of the way they happened. For some reasons, some members of the Nigeria Police Service, by design or deliberate neglect, seem destined for catastrophic death. Why?

Indeed, Police officers know that each time they put on their uniform, they are taking risks to protect others. The system that puts them on such assignment must reckon with the fact that these police officers are putting their lives on the line, for the protection of others. Sometimes, in the discharge of these duties, the police insist on checking the roadworthiness of vehicles that ply the streets, in order to ensure that they are in suitable operating condition for safe driving and transportation of people or cargo. The ambition of the police is to promote safety on public roads by reducing danger to the passengers or other road users. Yet, in most cases, their own operational vehicles are road worthless. Apart from the issue of overwork, which is largely due to poor staff strength, police on duty in Nigeria do not have enough rest, talk less of the time to adequately prepare for the next challenge. Nigeria currently has a little over 370,000 Police Officers, which is just about 1:600 Police-Citizen ratio. This leaves them under a permanent stress threat, that takes advantage of their vulnerability.

If a thorough investigation were to be made on the Kano police accident, apart from questioning the mental health of the truck driver, for reversing a trailer on the Highway, the vehicle carrying the police officers on duty may also fail the test of road worthiness. It may also be road worthless. They were sent on a national assignment, in a rickety vehicle, that was probably without brakes. And the poor police met their deaths, dreadfully. There is no single day in Nigeria today, that you don’t hear of the police being killed in one mishap or another. The news is always of unlucky accidents, and the poor police are the victims. Why? Is the police service scheduled for Supreme sacrifice?

Numerous researches have indicated that the Nigeria police officers have an elevated risk of death, relative to the general population of the country, and the reasons are specific-poor working conditions.The controversy over the life expectancy of police officers in Nigeria is not limited to poor remuneration, but also the issue of kitting. When you refuse to provide someone with the appropriate equipment for an assignment, especially such assignments that are associated with high risks, you are politely assigning the person to death.

This article is intended to serve as a tribute, not just for the officers that died yesterday, but all the police that died on duty before them. There is an honourable memorial day quote that reads:

“We don’t know them all, but we owe them all. We come not to mourn our dead heroes but to praise them. We stand for the flag, we kneel for the fallen”.

May this accident prompt the government of Nigeria to do a great deal of soul-searching, with regards the situation of the police. And may the
souls of the fallen, rest in perfect peace, ameen.

By Vincent Kayode

For two entities that are supposed to work together to provide energy security for Nigerians, you may wonder why Dangote has been using every means available to paint NNPC as the bad guy, while projecting himself and his company as the saviour Nigerians have all been waiting for. After some digging, I found out that Dangote is not telling the whole truth. In fact, he is manipulating the media and using paid influencers to tarnish NNPC’s image. The truth will shock you.

Now follow me, let us get into the facts.

1. The first question is why is DR not releasing its product prices, even after accusing NNPC of being “mischievous“. I was shocked that NNPC was so transparent in its dealings, which you would expect of any company operating in the public domain. But Dangote, even with his blatant accusations against NNPC, is not happy.

2. ⁠While subsidy is gone, most marketers have refused to import PMS because the margins are too low for their profitability calculations. NNPC on the other hand, is interested in the lowest prices for Nigerians, as it was not set up solely for profit. Dangote is not happy.

3. ⁠If left unchecked, DR would sell the product to Nigerians at 1300 Naira per litre. What NNPC did was to negotiate with Dangote, and drive down the prices to a range that will be cheaper for Nigerians to afford. Dangote is not happy.

4. ⁠By selling crude to DR in Naira, the FG and NNPC have shown not only good faith, but accountability. Reciprocity is the norm in business. This is why NNPC must have an office inside DR complex, to avoid “stories that touch the heart”. I guess DR is not happy that another entity ( NMDPRA, NNPC, MoF) is checking his production and supply claims. Trust me, but verify.

5. ⁠The much-touted business model of Mr Dangote is being tested here. His business successes have usually being around being a monopoly player, stifling competitors through unfair practices, and arm-twisting government to get special favours and waivers. If in doubt , Ask Mr Abdussamad Rabiu of BUA. Go and inquire about Ibeto Cement. The current administration believes in fairness to all players. Dangote is not the only businessman in Nigeria. Do your business, but don’t play blackmail card because you can’t have your way all the time. But Dangote is still not happy.

6. ⁠The crude oil being produced by NNPC and its JV partners are for the benefit of all Nigerians. NNPC is not in business to increase Dangote’s profit margin, but to ensure energy security for all Nigerians. This is a key provision of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021. Still Dangote is not happy.

7. ⁠I think Mr Dangote is creating smokescreens to divert attention away from his refining issues. He should focus on producing the products he has promised, and in the quantity that he has promised. He should stop seeing NNPC as a threat.

8. ⁠The sky is big enough for all birds to fly. You cannot monopolise the Nigerian oil sector please. PMS is not cement, it is not sugar, and it is not flour. It is basically an essential commodity that can’t be allowed to be manipulated by just single individual, to the detriment of poor, unsuspecting Nigerians.

Vincent Kayode, wrote in from Lagos.