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Wike: NGO seeks alternative solutions to beggar removal in Abuja

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FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike

A non-governmental organization (NGO), Long Term Solution for Destitute Initiative, is urging Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to explore alternative solutions to address street begging in Abuja instead of expelling beggars.

According to report, the NGO’s Chairman, Dr. Saleh Ibrahim, on Sunday, issued a statement in Sokoto, encouraging the Federal Government to rethink its approach as the five-day ultimatum for beggars to vacate Abuja’s streets is nearing its end.

According to Dr. Ibrahim, street begging is a symptom of deeper societal issues, particularly poverty and vulnerability.

He noted that it’s embarrassing for any society to allow conditions that perpetuate begging.

He stated: “I am particularly embarrassed by the fact that Northerners dominate the population of beggars in the country, despite our privilege of holding political power the longest.

“It’s a badge of shame.

“Islam forbids and discourages begging.

“Begging destroys one’s pride.

“It is an insult to self-esteem.

“In his last interview with the BBC Hausa Service shortly before his demise, General Hassan Usman Katsina admonished bitterly against begging.

“However, while we are commending the FCT Minister for his courage we shouldn’t ignore the human rights angle of the issue.

“We shouldn’t treat a complex issue superficially.

“A cosmetic approach to public policy usually makes a bad situation worse.

“Wike was not the first Minister to expel beggers”, he added.

 

Ex FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai previously implemented similar measures…

The statement pointed out that former FCT Minister Nasir El-Rufai previously implemented similar measures, but beggars eventually returned to Abuja.

The statement read: “General Jerry Useini also expelled Abuja beggars to a remote forest in Zuru, Kebbi State, but the beggars found their way back.

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“That means the picture is bigger than the surface-level understanding of the issue by our policymakers, including Mr. Wike.

“Our constitution has conferred on citizens regardless of their social standing the freedom to reside in any part of the country.

“Meanwhile the beggers as part of the weak and vulnerable in our society have a right to be catered for in governance.

“The question that is begging for an answer now is what has the FCT administration done in terms of catering to the welfare of the weak and vulnerable.

“Commendably the administration of former FCT minister Nasir El-Rufai built a settlement for the destitute in Yargoji on Abaji Road.

“The settlement has a primary school and land for the cultivation of food.

“According to Housing Rights Watch Policy analyst, Anna Kompatscher (FEANTSA), ‘the stigmatization and penalisation of beggars and poor people have heavy consequences for their dignity’”, he stated.

The representative of the NGO continued: “Banning begging but also other penalization strategies can push the people targeted by these measures further into poverty and social exclusion.

“She argued further that a way forward can only be a change of mindset on begging as a criminal economic activity and that if begging should be eradicated, then it should not be through penalization and criminalization but thanks to a more supportive approach, helping low-income families to receive assistance and resources.

“Ironically, in Nigeria, those resources are stolen through corruption.

“The recent revelations about the large-scale corruption in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs have exposed how billions of public funds meant for poor people were brazenly stolen.

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“Corruption impoverished the people and made them more vulnerable.

“These vulnerable people are victims of multidimensional poverty.

“They can’t afford to send their children to school or afford the costs of basic medical care.

“They die of preventable diseases such as cholera, malaria, meningitis and other infections”

Dr. Ibrahim reportedly stressed that criminalizing beggars is morally reprehensible.

He said: “They’re victims of the corruption in the country.

“You can’t punish the victims of corruption and spare the perpetrators.

“Beggars are the human debris of the devastating impact of pervasive poverty in the country.

“The current insecurity has aggravated poverty which in turn has made the victims become beggars and refugees.

“A system that allows people to amass incredible wealth through corruption without consequences is worse than the menace of begging.

“The poor recruitment process into governance in our country is responsible for the endemic nature of begging in our polity.

“Indonesia, Kenya and several other countries have successfully researched and addressed the menace of begging”, he added.

He appealed to those in power to understand that tackling begging doesn’t require complex or sophisticated strategies.

“There are steps that are scientifically proven as international best practice of addressing such social problem where there is good governance and sincerity of purpose”, he concluded.


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