Vice President Namadi Sambo has called on all Nigerians to live in peace and harmony as it is only in an atmosphere of peace and harmony that meaningful development could be achieved.The vice president made this call at the commissioning of the Umaru Musa Yar’adua Almajirai Bilingual (Model Boarding) Primary School in Sabon-Gari Zaria, built by the Kaduna State government.
“I am seizing this singular opportunity to call on all Nigerians to live in peace and harmony as enshrined in Islam. There cannot be any meaningful development without peace” said Sambo
Sambo, expressed his delight at the commissioning of the first Almajirai Boarding School in the state, which idea was conceived by him while as Governor of Kaduna state. He said since the inception of this democratic dispensation, governments at all levels have continued to give education sector priority attention, which explains the reason the government launched the UBE programme in 1999 that made education free and compulsory.
The vice president further stated that the Almajirai education and the launching of the boarding school is a testimony of the effective partnership between the Federal and state governments in the provision of education to all including the disadvantaged group of children who would also contribute their quota to the development of the country.
Sambo stated that unless the plight of the teeming population of Almajirai in the country was addressed our national goals and objectives especially in the educational sector would not be complete.
“the spectre of young people and vulnerable school-age children, bowl in hand, roaming the streets of our towns and villages, begging for the means of their daily sustenance, does not only place a moral burden on our national psyche but portends a dangerous problem.” Said Sambo
The vice president stated that the federal government has granted approval for the establishment of similar institutions nationwide in keeping with the administration’s objective of ensuring that every child is in school and called on the active participation of the people and the communities in
attaining educational greatness.
“We must, as individuals and communities, develop and sustain quality institutions that would serve the contemporary needs of our society. We must above all, learn to work together and cooperate with one another to safeguard the integrity of our society and to, boldly and courageously face
the daunting challenges of the 21st Century” Said Sambo.
Sambo stated that Already work has commenced for the establishment of similar schools in the 19 Northern states, Edo and Oyo states. One of the Almajirai Model Schools has been commissioned in Gagi, Sokoto State earlier this year and several more are under construction. The federal government has also partnered the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in that respect and has signed a $98billion Bilingual Education deal last year.
On his part, the host governor, Patrick Yakowa stated that the commissioning of the Almajirai Boarding school is a testimony to the great interest the vice president placed in education.
“We are all witnesses to His Excellency’s policy on education in this state, which our government inherited and has pursued vigorously. His Excellency conceived the idea of this school in the first quarter of 2009… I want to believe tHat His Excellency conceived the idea of Almajirai Boarding schools, having seen reports and researches from various stakeholders that have interest in the issue.” Said Yakowa
The vice president has earlier called on the Emir of Zazzau, HRH Shehu Idris at his palace where to pay his homage. The emir where he expressed his gratitude to the government of the state for building the Almajirai Boarding School and called on prayers for lasting peace and progress. He also called on any aggrieved member or group of the society to embrace dialogue.
On his part, the Emir thanked the federal government for its various intervention funds and also expressed his gratitude to the vice president for initiating the Tsangaya programme which would ensure the inclusion of the Almajirai into the modern education system so that they could be of
benefit to themselves and to the society.
The vice president was also at the 150mld Zaria Water Supply Expansion and Sanitation Project to inspect the progress of work at the site.