Against the background of widespread street begging in many parts of Nigeria but especially in the North, which constitutes an embarrassment and portrays the areas in bad light, the move by the Niger State government to curb the menace with the sum of N400 million is a step in the right direction. Taking a stand against an age-long menace would be an uphill task without adequate preparation, funding and education.
The N400 million infusion is a good beginning but only if it is not an ad-hoc measure but one backed with a comprehensive legislation as was the case in Kano. The Niger government should, therefore, use this opportunity to come up with a pro-active and sustainable strategy that would make street begging history in the state, and from which other states can learn.
The Niger State government made the disclosure of its new plan after the State’s Executive Council meeting in Minna and said, a committee comprising the Ministries of Youth, Gender Affairs, Religious Affairs, Education, Agriculture, Culture and Tourism and the Federal Government’s interventionist Sure-P has been set up to come up with the money. The aim is to enhance the take-off of the scheme to ensure that Almajiris or beggars are taken off the streets.
The government added that palliatives put in place by the government will improve the lives of the target audience, especially with the establishment of Almajiri Quranic and Arabic schools as part of the plan. It needs to be stated once again, however, that what the phenomenon of street begging scheme requires is not palliatives but concrete and sustainable action, indeed, a social re-engineering scheme.
It is interesting that the Niger State Government is the second among the northern states to take a critical look at the issue of street begging. Not long ago, the Kano State House of Assembly passed a law prohibiting street begging in the metropolis aimed at ridding Kano of beggars and the destitute in order to have a clean city.
Prior to that Kano action, the Lagos State Government deported scores of destitute and beggars to their supposed states of origin with the aim of ridding Lagos city of homeless persons who had become a blight. While that government’s action generated great controversy and drew the ire of activists and governments in South Eastern Nigeria whose citizens were largely involved, the Lagos State authorities explained that it did not dislocate people outside the purview of its urban renewal programme.
Whereas, keeping beggars off the streets is encouraged, the onus is, however, on the respective governments to make adequate provision for them. They are not just human beings but Nigerians, deserving of dignity and, of course, service from their governments. Except a wholly comprehensive plan of welfare and training is executed, the Niger effort may be fruitless and the beggars will return to the streets after a while. Irrespective of where the action is taken, the fact remains that beggars and the destitute have not been given fair treatment anywhere in the country and perhaps, the time has come for governments across the federation to re-evaluate their social welfare programmes with the aim of making them more inclusive.
Though the Niger government has joined Lagos and Kano states in banning street begging and developing plans for the destitute, a real and present fear is that those displaced from those states would find their way into other states without such schemes. Hence the need for a nationally integrated scheme. It is also common knowledge that mass youth unemployment is threatening social cohesion in the country, so the Federal Government as well as all the states should have more robust schemes that focus not only on beggars but youths in general.
At this time when Nigeria is facing serious socio-economic and political problems, the energy of the youths is better channeled into productive ventures: rooted in skills acquisition with a view to making them contribute to the economy. The N400 million voted for the programme may seem inadequate but it is a good take-off sum if backed with sound planning. There should, however, be accountability and the funds must be applied strictly to the purpose for which it is meant.
Once again the beggars as fellow Nigerians deserving of their dignity and service from the state.
