Combatting Almajiri System in Nigeria: Public Knowledge and Perception on the Role of Communication

Abstract

This investigated contributions that an amalgam of communication genres could play in combating the age-long trade, pseudo, religious practice known as almajiranci or Tsangaya system in North-West Nigeria. The study draws insight from the fact that the conservative attitude among residents of Kano has limited the influence of the various media used to advocate for radical reorientation and behavioural change in the study area. Chief among the objectives of the study was to find out if the residents knew about the problem, to what extent, causes whether or not the residents knew the role of communication as a factor that could combat the menace. The communication function theory foregrounds the study. It utilised the mixed methods design where qualitative and quantitative data were generated using interviews and copiesof the questionnaire. Six(6) respondents were interviewed in the first phase of the research. In the second phase, four hundred (400) copies of the questionnaire were administered across the six local governments that made up the Kano metropolis, namely Kano Municipal, Fagge, Nassarawa, Dala, Tarauni and Kumbotso, using a combination of purposive and quota sampling. The study found that the residents had high knowledge of the existence of Almajiranchi practice, they mentioned poverty, illiteracy, love of Islamic scholarship, divorce, and the quest for self-discipline as some of the reasons for the prevalence of the practice and they perceived communication, especially the mixed-communication genre/integrated genre, as having the suitability for combatting the menace. Itwas therefore recommended that parents prioritise the well beings of their children and also call for the need to involve communication professionals in designing messages that are geared towards attitude change.