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BY ZAINAB AJIDE, DECEMBER 17, 2025 | 12:53 PM
The sun was setting over Maiduguri when a thin teenage boy sat rocking his body back and forth, trying to comfort himself as his stomach rumbled loudly.
He clutched a wooden slate on his lap, whispering verses with his eyes closed, lost in concentration despite the hunger gnawing at him.
When footsteps stopped behind him, he opened his tired eyes and looked back, revealing yellowish, exhausted pupils that spoke of long suffering.
I asked what he was doing, curious about why he was reading with his eyes closed.
Lukman Ibrahim, a 15-year-old Almajiri, said he was performing dhikr, a nightly prayer he recites before going out to beg for food.
He explained that he asks God for mercy and provision each evening before facing the streets.
Lukman spoke quietly about endless nights spent with an empty stomach.
He described lying awake in pain, listening to the distant hum of the city while hunger kept him from sleeping.
At dawn, he said, he often goes to nearby farms to do hard labor in exchange for scraps of food.
The Almajiri system, once a respected Islamic educational tradition, has become a harsh reality for thousands of children living in extreme hardship.
Their lives are defined by hunger, exposure, and a daily struggle to survive.
In another interview with YERWA EXPRESS NEWS in Maiduguri, 10-year-old Jibrin Abu Saleh shared his own experience of life on the streets.
He said many nights are spent burning discarded tires, breathing in the pungent smoke as the children gather around small flames for warmth.
The cold and darkness, he said, are constant companions, but hunger is the most painful burden they carry.
Seventeen-year-old Muhammad bin Muhammad, an orphan, said poverty forced him to drop out of school.
He said he could not continue studying while starving, his voice filled with sadness and quiet determination.
With no other option, Muhammad joined other Almajiri children roaming the streets to fend for themselves.
The harmattan season in northern Nigeria worsens the suffering of Almajiri children, especially in Maiduguri.
Cold, dry winds, dusty air, and low temperatures expose them to serious health risks.
Many children as young as five are forced onto the streets daily to search for food and money.
This constant exposure leaves them vulnerable to illness, abuse, and exploitation.
According to the Borno State government, there were 224,668 Almajiri pupils across 2,775 sangaya centers and 45 Islamic schools as of October 2022.
These figures include both day and boarding students spread across the state.
Overcrowding and limited resources remain major challenges within the Almajiri system.
Sanina Abubakar Jidda, head malam of the Wahabi sangaya at Sheikh Abu Saleh Mosque in Madinatu, said feeding the children has become increasingly difficult.
He explained that unlike before, many children now get little or no food, especially during the harmattan season.
He said the single daily meal they provide cannot satisfy over 100 children under their care.
Jidda also said shelter is a major problem during the cold season.
He explained that the temporary canopies the children sleep under are meant for daytime study, not overnight protection from the cold.
Sainna Bishara Saleh, who runs a sangaya in Gwange 1, Maiduguri, said the children lack basic items like sweaters, head warmers, and footwear.
She said these items are essential for protecting them from the harsh harmattan cold but are largely unavailable.
Health experts warn that the living conditions of Almajiri children expose them to serious medical risks.
Hamza Adamu, a pharmacist in Maiduguri, said harmattan is especially dangerous for children already weakened by hunger and poor hygiene.
He said common illnesses include dry cough, runny nose, rashes, pneumonia, malaria, asthma, and bronchitis.
Adamu added that limited access to healthcare, sanitation, and hygiene worsens their condition.
He stressed the need for public awareness on hygiene to help protect Almajiri children who cannot care for themselves.
He said even basic practices like bathing once a day can reduce the risk of disease.
Adamu called on government-owned health facilities to provide free healthcare services to Almajiri children.
He also urged members of the public to assist whenever possible to ease their suffering.
The future of Almajiri children in Maiduguri remains uncertain.
They continue to face hunger, homelessness, and poor health with little support.
The harmattan season deepens their pain and exposes the cracks in society’s responsibility toward them.
The harmattan may be beautiful to some, but for Almajiri children shivering in destitution, it is a season of survival that demands urgent action.
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