The Alliance for Democracy (AD), on Tuesday, commended Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State for the ban on street begging and hawking in the state.
El-Rufa’i announced the ban on street hawking and begging across the state on July 7 after a bomb blast in Zaria which claimed 26 lives and injured 32 persons.
Rafiu Salau, AD National Chairman, who gave the commendation in a statement, said that the ban would make the beggars think of rendering services that would provide livelihood for them and better mankind.
He, however, urged the state government to build training institutes that would prepare the beggars for life outside what they were used to.
“Gov. El-Rufai of Kaduna has taken the right step to bring change to the state,” he said. “Stopping beggars in the state will make them to think of rendering services that will yield them enough money to live very well.
“What the beggars need from the government is a training institute that will give them skills.
“The government should invest in the change of the quality of lives of the beggars. They beg to survive because they were denied access to skills and knowledge in the past.”
He also said that it is not late for a beggar without mental problems to develop his or her brain capacity. After the training, some will become stars in various fields like sports, music and entertainment.
“We need to replace the mentality of begging with that of skills for self-confidence. The governor should continue his programme of changing the orientation of begging in our community,’’ Salau added.
