Odinkalu tackles Buhari’s ex-aide Bashir Ahmad over post glorifying Almajiri education
By Ishaya Ibrahim
Former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Chidi Odinkalu has tackled Bashir Ahmad, an ex-aide on social media to former President Muhammadu Buhari for rationalizing the Almajiri system as valid Islamic education.
Ahmad glowingly endorsed a claim by State Education Minister Suwaiba Saidu that almajiri children are not out of school, hence, minimizing report that the North has the largest burden of our of school children.
His claim was rejected by Odinkalu who wondered whether one of his qualifications when he worked for the last administration included being an ex-almajiri.
Besides, Bashir Ahmad accompanied his post with photo of dozens of Almajiri children clutching their begging plates. Odinkalu queried him why he thought that the malnourished children didn’t deserve better.
His post reads: “Bashir, you are here writing in English but advocating that these children should not. You are both selfish and dishonest: #Almajiri isn’t a system of Islamic education. Pls cite a Hadith in support of your claim. How many Almajiri does Saudi Arabia have? UAE? Stop this nonsense!”
He posted another: “Are you not ashamed to put up this picture of malnourished and impoverished children as evidence of your “Islamic education”? Even better, I presume you became a presidential adviser as an Almajiri? & I presume too that your kids are guaranteed places in Almajiri education?”
