Sunday Ani
An umbrella body of all self determination groups and socio-cultural organisations of Yoruba descent worldwide, the Yoruba World Congress (YWC), has called for the abolition of all the appurtenances that make Nigeria a federal state only in name but not in practice, describing them as self-serving.
In a statement titled: ‘Time to hands off totalitarianism,’ signed by YWC’s Communication Secretary, Akogun Tola Adeniyi, and made available to Daily Sun yesterday, the group specifically said it was time to jettison such self serving policies as Quota System, Unity Schools, Federal Character, Education Trust Fund, Universities Commission, Universal Primary Education Board, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board and several similar self serving, corruption laden agencies smuggled into Nigeria’s peculiar federal system of government. The YWC believes that such a step would enable various regions to determine their education system, housing needs, energy requirements, roads and transportation priorities and food security requirements, as well as their internal security needs.
The statement equally said the group had taken a studied notice of the recent compulsory evacuation of thousands of Almajiri throughout the 19 Northern states by respective state governors in the region, saying the governors had taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to express their dissatisfaction over the age-long Federal Government’s meddlesomeness in the running of their respective primary education system.
Part of the statement read: “Almajiri educational system is a federal dictated, financed and controlled educational system for usually abandoned and wandering children scattered all over the vast mass of land in the Northern part of Nigeria.
The Governors took advantage of the COVIPD-19 pandemic to give vent to their age long dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s meddlesomeness in the running of their respective primary education system.
“In sacking the Almajiri pupils and evacuating them in hundreds to their respective states of origin, Northern Governors ‘vowed not to allow the system to persist any longer because of the social challenges associated with it, including the perpetuation of poverty, illiteracy, insecurity and social disorder.”
Describing the move as good for the states and Nigeria in general, the YWC lamented that the education of these Almajiri, most of who are non-Nigerians, was being financed with Nigeria’s tax payers’ money.
Kano State, according to the statement, had evacuated 524 Almajiri to Jigawa State, 435 to Katsina State and several others to Niger Republic, while Gombe State had also evacuated 700 in the first batch and escorted them out under heavy security to their various states of origin.