We’ll jail parents who enrol children into Almajiri system — El-Rufai

•Says Almajirai’ll be enrolled in schools
•Adds, they may be future of Northern Nigeria

•ACF, Arewa Youths, Junaid Mohammed back el-Rufai
•Go back to Jonathan’s template, say Northern Youth’ groups

By Luminous Jannamike, Bashir Bello & Ibrahim Hassan Wuyo

All the 218 Almajirai who were recently repatriated to Kaduna State would be compulsorily enrolled in primary schools, Governor Nasiru Almad El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said.

He said yesterday that the former child urchins were being restored full human rights, dignity and hope as children.

“Every child in Kaduna has equal opportunity and access to 12 years of free and compulsory education in our public schools,” he said.

This is even as the pan-Northern socio-cultural organization, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, and Second Republic lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, threw their weights behind the governor, insisting that they would support any policy that would rehabilitate the Almajirai for good.

However, the Joint Association of Northern Youth Groups said unless Northern governors revived the programme former President Goodluck Jonathan put in place for the Almajiri children, the desired objective might not be achieved.

Governor El-Rufa’i said on his Facebook page that he was “pleased to see our Almajiri children, the batch of 218 from Kano, Nassarawa, Plateau & Gombe States looking well & free of COVID-19.”