The Bauchi state Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has banned the Almajiri system of Qur’anic education.
He also announced a ban on commercial motorcycle operations (Okada) in the state adding that in line with the social distancing order, all religious gatherings in churches and mosques had been banned.
The governor made these known in a state-wide broadcast on Thursday.
He said, “The Almajiri system which operates through the aggregation and congregation of hundreds of children who beg by day and cluster in large numbers at night may accelerate the spread of coronavirus.
“There is an agreement by northern governors to ban the Almajiri system in the region. The Almajiri system is hereby banned in the state.”
Mohammed however, stressed that the ban “is not against Islamic learning or scholarship.”
He said, “Our lockdown is not a shutdown; it is a lockdown with a human face. Markets will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 10am to 2pm, effective from Sunday, 26th April, 2020 to help residents restock for food and other related needs.”
The governor said that commercial motorcyclists will cease to operate in Bauchi from Sunday.
