Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has recently shed light on the demographic challenges faced by Nigeria, particularly the higher population of beggars in the country. During an interview with Channels TV from 24:23, the governor drew from his educational experiences in the South to argue that while beggars are present in both Northern and Southern Nigeria, the population of beggars in the North is significantly higher.
Zulum attributed this disparity, in part, to cultural practices such as polygamy, which contribute to larger family sizes in the North. He acknowledged that the population figures are indeed substantial but emphasized that the key issue lies not in the numbers themselves but in the effective management and allocation of resources for the growing population.
“I did my postgraduate studies in the University of Ibadan, we also have beggars in Southern Nigeria, but the population is high in Northern Nigeria. I believe this is because of the number of wives that we used to marry among ourselves,” Zulum stated.
The governor expressed gratitude to the Federal government for reestablishing the Almajiri educational board, recognizing its potential to address some of the challenges associated with the Almajiri system, which has been linked to the high number of out-of-school children and beggars in the North. He emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts between the state and federal governments in resolving these issues.
“And that is why I want to use this opportunity to thank the Federal government for reestablishing the Almajiri educational board. I think we are working together to resolve some of the issues,” Zulum said.