The Katsina State Government is planning to ban street begging in the state, saying it is causing her, several embarrassments and negating the efforts by government to eradicate poverty in the state.
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr Badiyya Hassan Marshi told The Nation in an exclusive interview in her office that already, the state government has forwarded a bill to the State House of Assembly and awaiting its passage, hoping that the bill when it becomes law will give bite to Government’s determination to weed the street off those whose mindset are bent on continuing begging while ignoring several governments empowerment and social intervention programs.
She said “a draft bill is already before the State House of Assembly, meant to address street begging, hawking especially by women and the girl child who were often used by handicapped adult beggars. These Children who leads the adults to begging are often lured and abused, and we must address that’’.
“Government has several social intervention programs and empowerment but these beggars shun such efforts by government and prefer continuing begging as a habit and incurably mindset and cannot leave the streets.’’
“Just recently about 1000 handicapped beggars were picked off the streets and empowered unfortunately these same set of people would rather prefer selling off their start up packs and kept roaming the street as if nothing has been done for them.’’
She further maintained that the State Government has taken 70% of Women and Children beggars off the street and empowered them, adding that those found on the street are there not because of lack of employment opportunities and self sustenance, but because they prefers such lifestyles.
Hajia Marshi said the state government has already initiated another soft loan through the Micro Finance Banks with a takeoff supporting funds of about N20m and that each start up loans will be N10, 000 on revolving arrangements.
On whether the state Governor has sufficiently addressed the challenges facing Katsina Women considering that they constitutes more than 60% of his political support base, she said both the Governor and women in the state shares mutual goodwill and that the challenges facing Katsina Women have been sufficiently addressed through multi sectoral approach.