Sanusi Asked Government To Incorporate Arabic Studies Into Nigeria's Education

Sanusi had earlier proposed a bill that will prevent poor men from marrying many wives.

He said the bill will ensure that any man who cannot take care of his family responsibilities must not be allowed to marry more than one wife.

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II has asked the federal government to incorporate Arabic studies into Nigeria's educational curriculum.

Sanusi said the refusal to recognize Arabic studies is a costly by-product of the British colonialism in Nigeria.

While delivering the Thomas Hodgin Memorial Lecture at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom on Monday, March 6, the emir said the English language literacy mainstreamed by Britain does not make sense.

The lecture, titled ‘Tradition, Modernization and Reform – The Institution of Emir as Change Agent’ was focused on the reform agenda by Sanusi to codify family law, reforms in education and the use of the mandatory Islamic alms giving to set up foundations to the with challenges in Kano and Northern Nigeria.

He said it is counterproductive that millions of children and adults in Nigeria who can read and write Arabic are described as illiterates.

Sanusi said the neglect for Arabic studies in Nigeria's education system feeds the structure of power and inequality that currently bedevils Nigeria.

He further called for the reform of Nigeria's education to allow some kind of certification for Arabic learning.

Subsequently, the Emir called for the employment of teachers who would be able to teach various disciplines in Arabic and make them part of the mainstream educational system.