Nasarawa state Governor, Abdullahi Sule has admonished individuals to give birth to only a good number of children they can cater for.
The governor, who gave this admonition while speaking during an interview with journalists, explained further;
“Anytime you say Almajiri, people conjure wrong impressions. Because I’m a scholar still learning Islam, I understand the problems. People use the opportunity of the Almajiri system to go and dump children unattended in the name of seeking Koranic education.
They don’t know how the child feeds, what the child wears, where the child sleeps, and the health of the child. It is wrong. Being a learned scholar I can preach in Islam.”
While decrying the level at which some people misinterprete certain areas of the Islamic tenets on the issue of marriage, governor Sule emphasized that people misrepresent the fourth Surah which addresses weak and vulnerable women, children, and orphans.
“Muslims believe the teachings of Islam that says one to marry one wife. But if you can afford more than one or four being the maximum, as long as you can afford it. But if you can’t be equitable to the four, marry only one.
Most people who don’t read to the last Surah have been misled. To address this knowledge gap, we intend to build three institutions in Wamba, Lafia, and Nasarawa towns where they can have formal schools of Quranic and Western education – that way we can take them off the streets.” He maintained further.
Sule stated that the other school located in Lafia will commence very soon.
He stressed the state government’s commitment in encouraging organic education adding that when the school is operational, his dream is to be a part-time teacher there.
“We can teach them correct Quranic education. It is imperative to discourage people from continually bringing children into the world and cannot take care of them.” He concluded.