The umbrella body of youths in the North, Arewa Youths Consultative Forum has warned governors of the states in the South to stop the ‘deportation’ of Almajiris so as not to trigger a national crisis.
The group said that a retaliation by governors in the North against Southerners entering and living in their states would throw the entire country into crisis and chaos.
The AYCF also said it was studying the current trend in the southern part of the country, where states have been ‘deporting’ Almajiris back to the North, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world, and would react appropriately.
AYCF National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, told our correspondent at the weekend that the current trend among the states in the South from where Almajiris were being deported back to their states of origin in the North, was not the appropriate solution to the health and security challenges confronting the entire country and the world at large.
He said, “On the Almajiris being seen as security and health risks, I don’t understand this. First, on the issue of COVID-19 pandemic, everyone in the country is affected. In fact, the West started it before it was imported to the North. On security, all parts of the country are taking measures.
“But I do not think it’s in the interest of the North if the western and southern state governors begin to behave like Rivers Governor, Nyesome Wike, who will become a lawyer today, a dictator tomorrow and others. It may not augur well. This is because if another governor from the North begins to behave like Wike, it will become a national crisis.”
Shettima said that the Almajiris, who are Nigerian citizens, should, like every other citizen, be free to live in any part of the country they have chosen and should not be stigmatised, profiled or labeled health or security risk by anyone or state government.
“These people are Nigerians, if you feel entering your state is not secure health wise, then quarantine them and when they are free from COVID-19, let them go. Let there be a sensitization that if you are coming into our state we will quarantine you on arrival. Whoever does not want it, will stay in his state. But when you begin to treat them as if they are not Nigerians, that is bad,” he said.
The AYCF boss argued that rather than stigmatising and rejecting the Almajiri, they should be accepted by the public.
The Forum, therefore, appealed to the Nigerian Governors’ Forum to urgently meet to discuss the issue and arrive at a solution to the problem before it would degenerate into reprisals from the North.
The AYCF president added, “These people are Nigerians, if you feel entering your state is not secure health wise, then quarantine them and when they are free from COVID-19, let them go. Let there be a sensitization that if you are coming into our state we will quarantine you on arrival. Whoever does not want it, will stay in his state. But when you begin to treat them as if they are not Nigerians, that is bad.
“Behaving like Governor Wike is very bad. And we are watching his action and that of other southern governors. Whoever misbehaves will reap the fruits of his action. At this level, we expect the Nigerian Governors’ Forum under Fayemi to call a meeting so that they can discuss this issue and formulate a policy that will help the situation and all of us will live in peace.
“We realise that we cannot rule it out that we have bad eggs, the fact is that we have them everywhere. So, as we talk let us not generalize. It is parochial to blame a section of the country for an issue.”
He lambasted the Afenifere and Ohaneze youths for backing the ongoing deportation of Almajiris from the Southern states, saying that the two groups were always too sentimental on national issues rather than basing their positions on facts on the ground.
“Afenifere and Ohaneze are just demonstrating to the world they are anti-North. Often times, they get carried away on sentiments, not on facts on grounds. And they have no other reason to back some of their claims. Of course, there are some problems that some of us acknowledge on this issue of Almajiris. Some of the policies applied by some of our previous leaders didn’t work well concerning this Almajiri issue. And to an extent, you could see how the current leaders are working round the clock to ensure that things are put in proper shape. Even though I differ with them,” Shettima said.
The AYCF president, however, said that the group was already taking steps to stop the eviction of Almajiris from states across the country.
“There are plans by Arewa Youths to stop this. There is restriction of movement and this affects our moving around to meet the governors. But even at that, we have been contacting our members in those state to meet the governors and settle issues with them,” he said.
