Why Northern Elites Send Their Kids Abroad While Almajiri Children Beg

I’m asking why a region that produces governors, senators and billionaires sends its own children to study in London, Cairo or Dubai while almajiri kids beg under bridges for leftover food. Nigeria has about 18.3 million out-of-school children. Almajiri students make up roughly 72–81 percent of that. In Kano over a million children beg every day, and Nasarawa alone accounts for 430,000 out-of-school kids. Meanwhile, Islamic schools in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan are funded, regulated and paired with regular lessons. Every call for reform is dismissed as ‘sacred tradition,’ yet experts warn the system fuels insecurity and extremist recruitment. The National Commission for Almajiri Education received ₦8.4 billion this year—but none went to schools or feeding programs. If this model is truly sacred, why don’t those in power choose it for their own children?

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