ENGLISH SUMMARY OF THE BOOK ‘’MIKE ALARAMMA’’
In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Merciful. Peace And Blessings of Allah be upon His Noble Messenger, Muhammad (SAW), his companions, family and all those who follow the path of truth till the Last Day.
‘Mike Alaramma’ is a book written in the Hausa language and its Arabic script version called “ajami” to serve as a wake-up call for the reform and improvement of the Almajiri system of Qur’anic and Islamic Education in Nigeria. The call became necessary after the ban and the repatriation of the Almajiri students by the Northern Governors Forum of the Northern States of Nigeria during the Covid-19 pandemic measures in the year 2020. This is an event that was poorly handled by the Northern States Governments resulting in the displacement, suffering and repatriation of the students to their home states and villages, abandoned in the midst of poverty. ‘Mike Alaramma’ argues that these young children could have been treated differently by the Governors such that their lives were improved for their betterment and that of the society.
The word “Almajiri”,is a Hausa word derived from Arabic, ‘Al-Muhajirun’, which means ‘migrants’, in other words, children who travel away from home in serach of Quranic education and related fields of knowledge under a learned scholar, locally called ‘Alaramma’ or ‘Mallam’. It is a tradition that is as old as Islam in Nigeria, predominantly practiced in the North. The system was an organized educational system receiving state support during the Sokoto Caliphate. Under the Caliphate, it produced great scholars excelling in many fields of knowledge and literacy including commerce, politics, law and good governance. It was the bedrock of the civilization of Northern Nigeria and the social revolution of Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio (1754 – 1816) which affected a large part of West Africa.
Historically, the products of the Almajiri educational system were hardworking personalities that excelled in all fields of knowledge including entrepreneurship. A famous Almajiri turned merchant was the late Alhaji Alhassan Dantata of Kano, the uncle to Africa’s foremost entrepreneur, Alhaji Aliko Dangote. With the onset of colonialism at the beginning of the 20th Century, this system of education was replaced by the British with Western Education, initially under the control of Christian missionaries leading to loss of government support and supervision. Similarly, poverty, corruption, failure of governance, and parental neglect compounded the Almajiri situation resulting in millions of young children in vulnerable states of begging on the streets,.
The book is divided into nine Chapters. The first two chapters introduce the Almajiri School system and its centuries old history especially in West Africa. The third chapter presents discussion on Covid-19 and its effect on Almajiri Education especially the ill-fated decision of the Northern Governors to deport all Almajiris to their states of origion. This move violated the protocols of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) prohibiting movemnets of people during the peaks of the pandemic. This poorly organized deportation was unconstitutional and was carried out in the most inhuman and bizarre manner as if the Almajiris were not citizens of Nigeria deserving dignity and respect of their human rights.
The fourth and fifth chapters of the book discuss the present state of the Almajiri Educational System and proposed solutions to the challenges facing it in 21st Century Nigeria. This includes standardization of curricula, certification of its different levels of studies and incorporation of skills acquisition in its programs. Chapter 6 specifically discusses Girl-Child Almajir Education and how best to enhance it within the teachings of Islam. Chapter 7 presents the viewpoints of prominent Nigerian Ulema on the Almajiri School System, such as Shaikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, Shaikh Aminu Dan-Nepu, Shaikh Aminu Daurawa and summary of some webinars by Islamic scholars and activists in 2020 on the Almajiri. In Chapter 8, the enire Muslim Ummah is being awakened on the need to unite and rise up for the protection of the Quranic School System find solution to its challenges and reinvent it on a new sustainable paradigm for now and the future generations. The last chapter (9) is a general summary of all the points raised above with another call for the Ummah to raise up to upgrade the Almajiri System of Education.
This book is a passionate appeal to Muslims in Nigeria, individuals, parents, organizations, teachers and the Governments to reform the Almajiri system of education and fulfil a Fardh-Kifaya (fundamental right) for the younger generation to learn the Qur’an. We need to put back the system to its original goal of learning the Qur’an, instilling the fear of Allah in the children, developing the potentials of the young and guiding them to the right path to grow as responsible and useful citizens of the society. The Almajiri system of education should be considered and accorded parallel care with the western system of education on its own merit, as alternative route to self-actualization and should be supported by the State and Federal Governments with funding and necessary regulations. The Almajiri system is a historical legacy and part of the civilization and heritage of Northern Nigeria with many advantages over western education.
The teachers of the Almajiri school system, who form the pivotal of the system, need to open up for reform of the system and also need to include, as part of the Almajiri agenda, a mechanism of understanding the Nigerian state, its polity, democracy, constitution and other important state ingredients that will allow them to fully participate in decision making in a democratic setting and also prevent the re-occurrence of the “the pack and throw” done to the Almajiri children by the misguided policy of the Northern Governors Forum.
I appeal to all ALARAMMA! Let’s wake up to reform our Almajiri Schools, protect and improve the learning of the Qur’an and Islam in our societies and also fully understand our rights as citizens. We call on every Muslim to join this struggle and appeal to other groups to unite and work for a new a vision of the Almajiri School System and a better life for these young Almajiri students and for humanity.
