Almajiris’ hunger protest is dangerous message to Northern leaders — Gov Sule

The governor of Nasarawa State engineer Abdullahi Sule has said that the recent hunger protest in the North is a serious wake-up call for governors in the region.

He stated this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics on Thursday.

This, he said, is a stark reminder of the region’s pressing challenges, particularly illiteracy and lack of economic empowerment.

Mr Sule stressed the need for urgent action to address these issues.

Governor Sule, who is worried that some of the people who protested were young persons, said most of them did not know why the processions were taking place.

“During this last protest that we had in Lafia, the majority of those that came out on the streets were the Almajiris – some of them five years old, seven years old, nine years old,” the governor said.

“A lot of them didn’t even understand the meaning of the protest. When I spoke with them later, they didn’t even know what they were protesting against.”

One of the ways to address the level of illiteracy in the north, according to the governor, is to educate the people.

“So, we must sit down. At one point in the year 2020, we sat down as the governors and took the decision about the Almajiris. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out well. They went back to square one,” he said.

“Some of the religious leaders criticized it. But from what happened now, I don’t believe anybody will continue to criticize actions that will be taken in order to move forward. Otherwise, it’s a ticking time bomb, it will come and consume every one of us.”

“One of the biggest problems we have in the north, from the day I came, is the idea of education and the one we are still pushing on,” Sule said.

“When people actually don’t have education and don’t have economic empowerment, these people will continue to behave the way these Almajiri actually behaved during this protest. So, education must be taken seriously in the North. We must be honest with one another.”

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