Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said his administration established Almajiri schools across northern Nigeria to address security challenges and reduce the recruitment of youths by terrorists and other violent extremist groups.
Jonathan said the initiative was designed to provide millions of young people with vocational skills and opportunities beyond religious education, enabling them to earn a living and contribute to national development.
Sunday Telegraph reports that the Jonathan administration built more than 150 integrated Almajiri model schools across the country.
The former president spoke on Saturday in Abuja at the public presentation and formal launch of Beyond the Bullets: Policing Terrorism in a Democratic System, authored by retired Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar.
Represented by his former Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadomhe, Jonathan said his administration had made concerted efforts to strengthen the country’s security response and protect citizens during his tenure as commander-in-chief.
He said: “In furtherance of this, my administration engaged in the establishment of Almajiri schools aimed at providing skills to millions of youth population beyond religious education only.
“This was intended to enable them earn a living and contribute meaningfully to national development while reducing the number of youths available for recruitment into violent crime.”
Jonathan commended Abubakar, who served as inspector-general of police during his administration, for contributing to the national conversation on policing, terrorism and democratic governance through the book.
He said the fight against terrorism should not be regarded as the responsibility of a particular administration, stressing that it required sustained commitment, institutional learning and cooperation across successive governments and generations.
“I believe the author has pointed out the fact that the fight against terrorism is not the responsibility of one administration or the other.
“It is a continuing national and global challenge that requires sustained commitment, institutional learning and cooperation across successive governments and generations,” he said.
Jonathan added that the book’s title underscored the need for counterterrorism strategies to go beyond military action and incorporate broader approaches to addressing the underlying causes of insecurity.
The former president also identified the Great Green Wall Project as another initiative aimed at addressing threats to national security and public safety.
According to him, the project was designed not only to combat desertification and expand fertile land for crop farming and animal husbandry but also to create employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people.
He called on the government to revisit and review both programmes to assess their relevance and potential contributions to national development and security.
In his remarks, Abubakar said his motivation for writing the book stemmed from his more than three decades in the police force, during which he witnessed the challenges terrorism posed to democratic institutions.
He said terrorism tested not only the capacity of the police and other security agencies but also the strength of laws, institutions and society’s commitment to democratic principles.
Abubakar warned against allowing the urgency of responding to terrorist attacks to undermine legal safeguards and institutional oversight.
He said democracy was not merely a system of elections and constitutional provisions but also a system of restraint, particularly when a country faced security threats.
The retired police chief said the book explored how governments could protect citizens without sacrificing the principles that legitimised the exercise of state power.
Dignitaries at the event included the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal; former governors; and retired inspectors-general of police.
