The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Bello Mohammed, has been called upon to as a matter of urgent public importance, ensure that beggars are taken off the major streets in Abuja.
In a motion ably moved by Senator Isa Misau (Bauchi Central) on Tuesday, the Senate also urged the government at all levels to provide articulate policies to reintegrate ALMAJIRIS into the educational system, thereby discouraging them from being used for street begging.
Senator Misau acknowledged that, “street begging affects not only the geographical and social structure of urban areas, it also portrays the country in a bad image to Tourists and foreign visitors “.
On his part, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha (Taraba South) while seconding the motion, raised great concern over the activities of street Beggars in Abuja and other major cities in Nigeria.
He said “some little boys that should have originally be in school are now carrying plates up and down. Their sight alone is overwhelming and embarrassing “.
Senator Bwacha particularly gave an instance where a good Samarithan gave N50 arm to a leper and his leprosy was immediately transferred to his benefactor.
Aware of the rate of poverty which is a great factor to street begging, the Senate, therefore, resolved that the government at all levels should strengthen the social welfare programme to make life more meaningful, and to also check the tides of physically challenged gravitating to street begging as the only means of survival.
The Senate also want the federal and state governments to set up rehabilitation centres and vocational training centres to provide beggars with alternative means of livelihood, thereby making them useful to the society.
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