Beggars
THE Oyo State Government yesterday said it would begin the evacuation of beggars from the streets.
The government said its action was informed by the increasing number of beggars on the streets and the need to check crimes.
This was the resolution of the
Inter-Religious/Inter Ethnic Committee meeting, presided over by Deputy
Governor Moses Alake Adeyemo, yesterday.
The meeting was attended by
representatives of various ethnic groups and religions, including Alhaji
Kunle Sanni (Muslim), Bishop Kehinde Stephen (Christian), Chief Fayemi
Fakayode (Indigenous Faith) and Muktar Lukman (Hausa).
Reading the communiqué, Sanni said
beggars should be taken off the streets as they violate the accepted
norms and religious beliefs in the society.
He said having understood that begging
contradicts the teachings of Islam, Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai
banned street begging and this resulted in the increasing influx of
beggars to Oyo State.
The communiqué added: “Proactive
measures should be taken on the issue of Fulani Bororo and should not be
limited to farmers/Fulani in the state.
“The committee viewed with great concern
the rising incidences of rape and kidnapping and that we stand by the
government in whatever measure taken to checkmate the crises.”
Other resolutions of the meeting
include: “A multidimensional approach to be applied by the government,
looking at the relevant sociological perspectives to analyse the menace
of beggars in Nigerian cities.”