I was returning from work around 7pm after being stuck in a nasty hold up on a rainy day. I made to park my car in front of a shop to get a recharge card but before the car could completely stop they were hanging outside the door in their usual manner such that there was no chance for me to open the door. I was about to respond with anger when my eyes landed on the gap teethed mouth of a child that was no older than my five year old daughter whom I still escort to the toilet. This particular child was not even privileged enough to have his mother hand him a warm meal or tend to his worries for he is an almajiri. He has been cast out to the world on the pretence of search for knowledge to give way so his parents can breed more children with a bleak future like his.
My heart grieved for the poor child. This child shall never know what it feels like to be a carefree and play around, I thought. He will grow up all alone in his formative years and his only bond will be that which he has with his fellow almajiri’s. He is in the hands of a mallam who has no emotional attachment to him, fend only for his biological children but still accept them under his tutulage to show that he is a great and recognised scholar.
What is painful about this situation is the fact that this boy is in a situation nobody cares about. His parents do not care, the government does not care and the society does not care too. What does the future hold for him then? Temptations of becoming a thug, a bandit or if he is lucky his hardships will shape him to become a successful and strong person but entirely due to God’s blessing and his own efforts.
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