Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has alleged that political interference sabotaged former President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2013 initiative to establish Almajiri model schools across Northern Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust TV, Gumi lamented how political considerations undermined what he described as a valuable educational program. “I think politics came in after Jonathan and it destroyed that small initiative which was very useful, but now I think we should come back to our senses,” he said.
The Islamic scholar called for a renewed commitment to universal education, urging stakeholders to move beyond past political divisions. He identified the urgent need to bring all children off the streets and into educational institutions.
Gumi highlighted modern educational tools, including online learning and television broadcasts, as practical solutions for reaching diverse student populations.
While acknowledging Jonathan’s efforts, he described those schools as merely scratching the surface of the educational crisis.
What we need now is more than that. What I’m calling for now is we need a tsunami of schools teaching our children. Bring out every child from the street onto the school. Every child with no child left behind,” the cleric stated.
