Niger State Government says it has repatriated 780 out of 794 Almajiris from its Quarantine Center in Minna, the state capital to their states of origin in line with decision of the Northern States Governors Forum, NSGF,.
It stated that the remaining 14 children at the Center include 12 foreigners from Benin and Niger Republics while the other 2 could not really give the exact states or countries they came from.
The state Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu, stated this at a post-Exco briefing in Minna said transporting back to their states cost the Niger State Government the sum of N86 million.
She explained that a total of 794 Almajiris were brought from their teachers from the 25 local government areas of the state and quarantined at the Quarantine Center in Minna.
“Under the first phase, we quarantined about 86 Almajiris, took adequate care of them and later returned them to their states. Under the second phase, we quarantined 708 Almajiris and returned them to their families. Out of them, 557 were from other states, while 139 were from Niger state,” she stated.
The commissioner revealed that those presently remaining at the Quarantine Center are 14 children out of which 12 are foreigners from Benin and Niger Republics while the other 2 could not really give the exact place they came from.
” And arrangements are on to return the 12 foreign Almajiris at the Center. We are liasing with the Immigrations Service on how we can safely return them back to their countries. The other two children could not really tell us where they came from as they kept going back and forth.”
On the reopening of schools, Salihu further stated the state Government is weighing carefully the risks of reopening of schools and putting in place post Covid-19 school reopening plans.
The commissioner maintained,” Niger state will reopened schools when all the guidelines of the Covid-19 Task Force are met.”
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