COVID-19: Gov. Ganduje Sends 1500 Almajiris Packing

By Akinwale Kasali

Keeping to his words to send packing non-indigenous Almajiris to their various home states, Governor Abdullahi Umaru Ganduje of Kano State has evacuated 1500 of them out of Kano. His action was necessitated by the outbreak of the Pandemic Covid-19 which has spread to the state.

Over 554 of them were evacuated to neighbouring Jigawa, their state of origin.

Kano State Commissioner for Education, Muhammad Sanusi-Kiru, who is also the Chairman of the evacuation committee, in an interview with newsmen said the Governor has asked for the immediate  evacuation of non Kano State Indigene Almajiris to their respective States.

Sanusi-Kiru added that the evacuation of the children was to ensure total compliance with the social distancing order of the state government to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“The initiative was in good faith, aimed at combating coronavirus and to fast-track integration of Almajiri children into formal school system.

“We evacuated 419 Almajiri children to Katsina State on Tuesday, and we are making arrangement to evacuate 195 to Kaduna State by Thursday.

“As i am talking to you now, we are heading to Jigawa in convoy with adequate security, together with the children to hand them over to the state government.

“Before the evacuation, we provided health personnel that checked the health of those children to ensure that they are all in healthy condition before we hand them over to their respective states of origin.

“Where these children were living before the evacuation was worrisome, because there were no adequate conveniences, shelter and other hygienic facilities.

“At some of the tsangaya schools, you will find out that over 3,000 almajiri children live in a small apartment without proper care, hygiene and other necessary needs, ” he said.

According to Sanusi-Kiru, no serious government can tolerate such arrangement.

“That was why Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje directed the ministry to come up with a new reform in form of evacuating  them to their states of origin, ” he said.

He added that the reform on formal and non-formal education would ensure that the Tsangaya schools would be less in number and more effective.

“Some of the heads of those Tsangaya schools, voluntarily handed over the children to the committee for evacuation,” he said.