First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has called for collaboration with Saudi Arabia to provide formal education for Almajiri and out of school children, proposing a model that would combine Arabic teachings with Western education.

Speaking while receiving Saudi Ambassador Yousef Al-Balawi at the State House, Mrs Tinubu said she works closely with vulnerable children and believes Almajiri children in northern Nigeria need better care, linking the country’s insecurity challenges partly to the neglect of this population. She said integrating formal education with Islamic teaching could secure Nigeria’s future, expressing appreciation for the two countries’ longstanding bilateral relationship.

Ambassador Al-Balawi said he has spent five months in Nigeria and expressed satisfaction with his reception by government officials, saying he looks forward to strengthening ties between the two nations in ways that benefit both economies.