President Bola Tinubu has just announced an adjustment to the prior appointments he made at the Almajiri Commission, as well as the Out-of-School Children Education by stating that Brigadier-General Lawal Isa (rtd), whom he appointed as Executive Secretary on March 15, will now assume the position of Chairman of the commission, while Dr. Idris Sani will henceforth, serve as its Executive Secretary/CEO.
This disclosure was made, on Monday evening, through a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale and titled: ‘President Tinubu Appoints New Almajiri Education Commission Leadership Team.’
It partly read: ‘Brigadier-General Lawal Ja’afar Isa (Rtd) is now to serve as the Chairman of the Board of the Commission, while Dr. Idris Sani is to serve as the Executive Secretary/CEO.’
Dr. Sani replaces the pioneer leader of the Amajiri Commission, Sha’aban Sharada, who has been the Executive Secretary since the commission was created in May 2023.
Recall that on May 28th 2023, former President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education Bill 2023 and appointed Sharada, the outgoing member of the House of Representatives for Kano Municipal as Executive Secretary.
Ngelale described Isa, who was the former military administrator of Kaduna State between 1993 and 1996, as a respectable leader.
On his part, Sani holds Masters and Doctorate degrees in Islamic Studies. He has served as Director-General, Al-Iman School, Lafia; Commissioner, Basic/Secondary Education, Yobe State; Chairman, Nigerian Arabic Language Village, Bornu State; He also served as Member, Nasarawa State Government Committee on Enlightenment Campaign, as well as Secretary-General, Association of Private Schools in Nasarawa State.
Speaking, through the statement, Ngelale stated that President Tinubu expects that the new appointees will ‘bring their vast experience into the management of this critical Commission, which impacts the very core of society, by ensuring that his administration’s drive to guarantee Nigeria’s out-of-school children the most comprehensive education is realized in the superseding interest of the nation’s future.’
He also urged Isa to ensure that his administration’s objective to ensure a comprehensive education for all out-of-school children is realized.
Almajiri is a system of Islamic education which is practiced in the northern part of the country.
The basic reason for establishing the Almajiri Commission is to provide a multi-modal system of education for the millions of children in the northern region that are not attending school.
According to a report by the United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 5.9 million children in Nigeria, dropped out of school in their early years, while 12.4 million children in the country have never attended school.
They further reported that in Nigeria, the Out-of-school population is made up of 15% of the global total. They also reported over 50% the girl child do not attend school in the basic education level.
Aside from Dr. Sani and Brigadier-General Isa (Rtd), the president also appointed Alhaji Tijani Hashim Abbas as Senior Special Assistant to the Presidency on Chieftaincy Matters.11:35
