A public commentator, Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar has blamed the lingering banditry activities and uncontrollable Almjeri system in the state on lack of education and proper upbringings of children by parents and guardians.

The commentator stated that the children did not start these dastard acts from their mothers’ wombs or even after they were born but their parents and guardians were unconcerned about their good upbringings.

He blamed the state government for allowing the uncomfortable influx of Almajeris into the state without controlling the situation by either forcing them out of the state or enrolling them into registered Islamic institutions in the state.

He said that he was very optimistic that education remains the bedrock and major prerequisite to any meaningful development anywhere in the world.

The public commentator lamented that most of these crimes that are bedevilling the north today have their roots in lack of education and poor upbringings by the parents and guardians of these children who were innocent from childhood.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, Alhaji Abubakar tasked the state government to put more effort in the attainment of a noble goal of providing effective and qualitative education both western and Islamic education to its citizenry.

“Considering the significance of education in this modern world, the state government cannot afford to treat education with a mere wave of the hand but accord topmost priority to the sector through teachers training and retraining as well as good welfare packages,” he said.

He recalled that late chief Obafemi Awolowo of the blessed memory warned the northern leaders of then, telling them that the youths whom you have refused to educate would turn against the northern region in the future, stressing that the warning of the late sage has been brought into sharp focus.

According to him, the state government should take a critical look at the level of education in the state, pointing out that most of the crimes being committed by these youths cannot be unconnected to lack of education, saying that the number of Almajeris continues to increase on a daily basis.

“It is unimaginable that a worker who earns less than 35,000 Naira per month would have about four wives and a huge number of children feeding on the meagre salary. Feeding, clothing, medical bills and other necessary expenses are attached to the 35,000 Naira per month.

“It becomes obvious that since the man’s monthly income can not satisfy the family needs, he has no option than to push his children to the streets by handing them over to private Mallams in the name of Qur’anic studies where they would be given licences to roam the streets and seek for alms.

“Most of the Almajeris are underaged and helpless children who are supposed to be in schools and in their parents care but now roaming the streets, begging for food and money which has indeed posed a serious challenge to the northern elders of our time.

“It would be unfair for one to blame only the state government for this Almajeri issue. The northern leaders are not doing anything tangible to salvage these dastard acts ravaging the entire north which is one of their responsibilities.

“The northern elders have been keeping quiet over the years and have allowed these misfortunes to befall the northern region. Now, mass killings and kidnappings have taken over the entire north uncontrollably,

Alhaji Abubakar urged the government to emphasise seriously on education sector both western and Islamic education and ensure that every school-age child is in school, advising the state government to push in a bill to that effect for consideration by the State House of Assembly.

Speaking further, the public commentator urged the state government to implement policies and programs that would promote education and be resolute in championing a crusade for compulsory basic education in the state.

“After all, primary and secondary schools belonging to the state government are free to indigenes of the state but no political will to make public schools function effectively as the highly placed individuals do not enrol their children into public schools but private schools. So how can the education sector be given top priority?

“I bet you, if the children of the well to do individuals in the state can be enrolled into public schools, definitely the standard of education in Zamfara state will improve because the government would be serious about education.

“I am convinced in my mind that no other time to address the educational problem of Zamfara State could be more auspicious than now that democracy is being threatened seriously because of armed banditry activities in the state.

“If their parents and guardians had given them proper western, Islamic education or even gave them good upbringings, they would not have been sucking innocent human blood as they are doing now.

“It is clear now that these criminals have sold their consciences to the devil. So wasting innocent lives means nothing to them. Some of these bandits still have parents who would be blaming themselves for the mistakes they had done.”