As Nigerians continue to bear the harsh economic conditions that result in inflation and extreme hardship, Almajirai, usually teenage boys that leave their communities to live in others, survive on alms and support from their host communities.
Some Almajirai told WikkiTimes in Gombe that they are caught in the current economic reality that they could not feed as they used to do when the economy was better.
Abdullahi Saleh, 14, whose routine entails a daily struggle of begging for food from door to door, said what he needs currently could be anything; leftover tuwo, rice, remnants of food flakes, or even spoiled food on the verge of rotting.
According to him, he used to eat thrice or more but now, it is common for him to go to bed without tasting a morsel despite making efforts to avoid that.
Abdullahi, who was brought to Gombe from Katsina for Almajiranci 5 years ago, said the hunt for food has become difficult due to the hike in food prices as well as the growing population of Almajirai in Arawa area in Gombe.
He told WikkiTimes that after their early morning classes, their teacher allowed them to move into the neighbourhood around 8am in search of the morning’s breakfast.
“Everybody rushes to beg for food from houses in the area,” he said, adding that “You could barely get a morsel sometimes. When you do, you are obliged to share with your friends because they return the gesture too.”
The story is not different for Musa, Bala and Hamisu as well. The three young boys who resort to menial jobs like shoe shining every Thursday and Friday – when they study-free days – said they make between N400 to N500 in a day.
Musa confessed that despite the meager amount, they are obliged to pay a weekly dues of N100 to their Mallam or else be punished.
“If you fail to compensate Mallam, you will be severely flogged. And for those of us that regularly pay, we get a tin of garri each once in a while when we are hungry,” Musa said.
He added that their Mallam also expect them to deliver a portion of their foods everyday no matter how little, for ‘blessing’
Recounting a disturbing experience, Hamisu said he was once locked away by Mallam for a complete day for refusing to bring some food to the teacher.
“He has a way of knowing that we ate outside without bringing it to him,” he narrated, “He will either ask your friends or sniff at your hands. The day he locked me away I spent the whole day without eating because I have to go begging before I can eat,” he said.
These days, the boys mostly get to feed once, sometimes none at all, yet, they are compelled to study every day, doing hard chores for their teachers including trekking long distances to the bush to get firewood.
Some households, who employ Almajirai to run their errands and assist with house chores including sweeping and disposing of garbage, admitted that they can only feed them once, considering the economic situation in Nigeria.
Iklima Muhammad, a housewife who spoke to WikkiTimes said she has an Almajiri who runs errands for food in return, but she can only feed him once a day.
She said: “I give him lunch or dinner. I wish I can feed him 3 square meals because he is a hard-working boy, but I cannot afford it.”
Another housewife, Hadiza Mohammed said the economy is not friendly anymore. She used to feed at least two Almajirai everyday but now she can only cook barely enough to feed the family.
Efforts to speak to their Mallam proved abortive as he was away at his farm as of the time of filing this report.
Almajiranci is a system of Islamic education practiced in northern Nigeria. The students are predominantly male, referred to as Almajiri or Almajirai.
The system encourages parents to leave parental responsibilities to the attached Islamic school and Teacher known as ‘Mallam’. The Hausa word Almajiri is derived from the Arabic word al-Muhājir which refers to a person who migrates from his home in search of Islamic knowledge.
