The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, wants governors of Northern states to convert mosques into primary schools. Speaking during the Kano Educational Week programme, he stressed that mosques were not initially meant for prayers alone.

The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, disclosed that historically mosques were used for marriages, leadership trainings and for academic activities.

Sanusi appealed to northern state governors with many mosques to return to the practice so as to save money for other needs. The Emir recalled how he travelled to Morrocco and saw mosques being used as lecture hall for university programmes. According to the Monarch, if the idea was adopted, funds allocated to building schools could be used to train teachers and provide welfare and other teaching instruments.

He said, “I was in Morocco sometimes ago and I asked to see their universities. They took me to mosques where I saw each serving as classrooms teaching Computer Science and other subjects.”