By 2027, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will campaign on his economic reforms and infrastructure projects. His opponents will point to inflation and unmet promises instead.
But one achievement would matter more than all the rest combined. Ending the Almajiri system and replacing it with modern education for Northern children would earn my vote absolutely.
Why does this matter so much? Not for politics.
Not for elections. Accomplishing this would represent one of Nigeria's greatest social transformations in history.
Consider what we're facing. Between 14.8 million and 20 million Nigerian children sit outside formal education today, according to UNICEF data.
Two-thirds of them live in the North West and North East regions.
Almajiri boys make up a significant chunk of that number. They wander Northern city streets daily, begging for food and survival.
This isn't just an education problem. It's an economic crisis, a security crisis, and a moral one too.
It's a civilisational emergency.
Most of these children lack access to modern education and vocational skills. They have no healthcare or genuine economic opportunities.
Africa's largest reservoir of untapped human potential sits right here, largely wasted.
Many people misunderstand what the real issue is. Islamic education isn't the problem at all.
Look at history — Islamic civilisation produced brilliant scholars, scientists, physicians, and mathematicians.
When you use a computer or AI chatbot today, remember al-Khwarizmi. This 9th-century Muslim polymath gave us the algorithm concept itself.
His name got Latinized into the very word we use.
Qur'anic education remains essential to Muslim identity. It should absolutely continue.
The real problem? Current Almajiri models don't prepare children for the modern world.
The world has transformed completely. Educational systems haven't kept pace with it.
Former Presidents Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan tried reforms through federal Almajiri schools years ago. More recently, the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education got established.
These efforts deserve credit. But they won't solve the crisis fundamentally, not really.
Why not? The challenge isn't administrative at its core.
It's structural. Completely structural.
Current thinking assumes that new commissions, more schools, or additional bureaucracies will fix things. Yet Northern Nigeria has seen decades of commissions and task forces produce limited success.
Policymakers focus on symptoms rather than root causes. That's the central mistake.
Years of discussions with scholars and educators convinced me of something. We need solutions that go much deeper than previous attempts.
