Bauchi State Grand
Khadi, Abdullahi Yakubu Marafa, has appealed to the federal government
to place an embargo on the importation of pornographic publications and
materials into the country which, he argued, pollute the minds of
Nigerian youth.
He explained that
if the government is really serious with its programme of re-branding
Nigeria and its desire for a disciplined society, it should bring to an
end the importation of such materials for the youth to be truly leaders
of tomorrow.
Mr. Marafa, who was
speaking at the opening ceremony of the 25th Bauchi State Qur’anic
Recitation Competition, also stressed the need for state governments to
discard the transmission of foreign films in cinema houses in their
domains.
He, however,
commended the federal government for its resolve to establish Tsangaya
schools across the country, where street roaming ‘almajirai’ would be
resettled to learn both Qur’anic and western education for the overall
benefit of the society.
No to almajirai
The cleric
explained that no religion allows street begging, saying even the
disabled, who out of necessity are forced to beg, could be camped at
designated rehabilitation centres to make them acquire skills so that
they could be useful members of the society.
He said that most
of the street beggars in the major cities are Muslims, and called on
the well-to-do members of the society to assist the government in
providing the needs of almajirai, disabled, and the less privilege
members of the society.
The state governor,
Isa Yuguda, who flagged-off the Qur’anic recitation competition,
revealed that the federal government has so far registered 9,625,000
almajirai across the nineteen northern states for incorporation into
the Qur’anic/ Western education system.
Mr. Yuguda
disclosed that the federal government has, at the initial take-off of
the Almajirai rehabilitation programme, awarded contract for the
building of 30 schools. He also said such centres of learning when
fully established would be provided with qualified teachers as well as
necessary teaching and learning materials.
The Bauchi State
government, he said, has in its efforts to boost the education
sub-sector, renovated 93 post primary institutions in the state, while
renovation work on the remaining 40 schools is to commence soon.
The Emir of Ningi,
Yunusa Mohammed Danyaya, who also spoke at the occasion, stressed the
need for the various ethnic groups in the country to learn to live with
one another, irrespective of differences for overall socio-economic
development of the country.
“Nigeria is a
country with people that differ in tongue, religion, mode of
livelihood, and so forth. We must live together, respect each other,
and endure to live in peace with one another, irrespective of our
differences,” the Emir said.
The Emir, who is the state chairman on registration and mobilisation
of voters in the current registration exercise, called on all eligible
voters in the state to make use of the remaining days of the voters’
registration exercise to register, to enable them vote candidates of
their choice in the forthcoming elections.
