Prof. Andrew Haruna, Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, has urged Northern leaders to urgently remove Almajiri children from the streets, warning that continued neglect could worsen insecurity in the region.
Haruna made the call on Wednesday while presenting a paper titled, “Youth Empowerment as a Strategy for Preventing Violence, Extremism and Insecurity in Northern Nigeria,” at the Arewa Awareness Summit on Unity Against Insecurity in Kaduna. The summit was organized by the Arewa Cohesion for Peace, Unity and Development Initiative.
Haruna said the North had the human and material resources to address the Almajiri challenge but lacked the political will to confront it.
He warned that leaving millions of children without access to education, care and economic opportunities posed a serious threat to the region’s future.
“If the North wants to survive, these boys must be taken off the streets. We have the capacity to do it. Let us stop blaming others and take responsibility for our children,” he said.
The university don said his recent visits to parts of Southern Nigeria revealed a sharp contrast, noting that he rarely encountered Almajiri children on the streets except those from the North.
He described the situation as a disturbing reflection of years of neglect and poor leadership. “We are sending the wrong signal about ourselves. We cannot continue to abandon our children and expect to have a peaceful future,” he said.
Haruna also lamented that while lavish mansions continued to spring up across the region, millions of children remained homeless, hungry and without access to education.
He warned that poverty and social exclusion were creating conditions that could make vulnerable youths easy targets for recruitment by violent and criminal groups.
The professor, who recalled relocating from Borno State because of the Boko Haram insurgency, said many children had grown up knowing little beyond violence.
“How do you re-engineer the mind of a child who has spent his entire life witnessing bloodshed? That is the danger we face if we fail to act now,” he said.
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Haruna also recounted an incident in Keffi involving an unemployed youth who confronted a wealthy motorist over what he considered extravagant spending. He said the incident reflected growing frustration among young people.
According to him, the region has an increasing population of unemployed and disillusioned youths trapped in what social scientists describe as the “waithood” period, during which young adults struggle to secure employment, establish families and achieve economic independence.
He attributed the situation to poor governance, inadequate educational opportunities and insufficient investment in human capital.
Haruna said some people now involved in banditry and other violent crimes had grown up without access to education and meaningful livelihoods.
The academic criticized political leaders for failing to prioritize education, youth development and moral leadership, stressing that insecurity could not be addressed through military action alone.
He also expressed concern about what he described as the declining moral authority of Christian and Muslim leaders to confront corruption, abuse of power and social decay amid persistent divisions.
Haruna urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, governments and communities to work together to rebuild trust, expand access to education and create economic opportunities for young people.
Quoting the late Islamic scholar, Sheikh Usman Dan Fodio, he reminded leaders that public office was a sacred trust that should not be used for personal enrichment.
He also referenced Nigeria’s 1970–1974 National Development Plan, saying its vision of a just, united and self-reliant nation remained relevant.
Haruna appealed to Northern leaders to acknowledge past mistakes and take deliberate steps to secure the region’s future through greater investment in education, youth empowerment and responsible leadership.
“We should not lose hope. History is being written about us every day, and future generations will judge us by what we do today,” he said.
NAN
