By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
A renowned Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has drummed for the extension of the country’s national cake to the Almajiri children.
The controversial cleric made the call in a Facebook post on Monday after encountering a group of Almajiri children begging.
Sheikh Gumi, who shared a video of the hapless children, decried their plight.
He re-emphasized his January 12, 2026, call for the implementation of a ‘Marshall Plan’ – the massive post-World War II American reconstruction effort – envisioning a comprehensive, well-resourced strategy that modernises Quranic education without discarding its moral core.
His words, “Today, I met these almajiris waiting for alms. There is a need for a Marshall plan to give them their share of the national cake.
“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Are you granted victory and provided for except through your weak ones?’”
The cleric has been a strong critic of the Almajiri system in Northern Nigeria.
He has often framed the challenges inherent in the system not as a charitable concern but as a national imperative tied to societal stability.
In his position on Facebook on January 12, Gumi argued that Northern Nigeria, home to roughly 150 public and private universities, has the institutional capacity to lead the country’s education sector within 15 years, provided deliberate reforms are implemented.
He explained that his proposed ‘Marshall Plan’ would help phase out the Almajiri system, combining a curriculum that blends moral education with modernity.
The Almajiri system is a centuries-old tradition of itinerant Islamic scholarship that originated in pre-colonial northern Nigeria and historically involved young boys being sent to study the Quran under a Mallam (teacher). Communities once supported these students through alms and labour.
In contemporary Nigeria, however, economic pressures, rural poverty and weak state support have turned the system into a visible humanitarian challenge.
Millions of children, often far from their families, now roam streets begging for survival, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, child labour and recruitment into criminal networks.
Newstracktoday reports that Gumi has been found championing various causes, one of it is taking care of the underprivileged children.
He said Nigeria for decades has ignored the underprivileged section of its society. There is a significant socio-economic discrepancy, and the society is stratified.
“This makes our teeming youth ready-made foot soldiers for any foreign interest trying to divide us and rule us. To plunder our resources while we are involved in a vicious circle of violence,” Gumi said.
He emphasized that the political class has remained inattentive to the plight of the poor, while the intelligentsia is held hostage by the daily struggle for existence.
“Unfortunately, the political class is unattentive while the intelligentsia is held hostage in the struggle for existence,” Gumi stated.