Happening at Sokoto State

Sokoto state decries increasing incidence of street begging

The Sokoto state Government on Tuesday decried the increasing incidence of street begging in spite of many intervention schemes to assist the less-privileged members of the society.
Alhaji Mani Katami, the state Commissioner for Religious Affairs said this in Sokoto on Tuesday that the preponderance of street begging was a concern to the state government.
”It is highly regrettable that street beggars had virtually taken over major streets, road intersections, markets, private and public offices.

"Unfortunately, the obnoxious act is being perpetrated by men, women, children and the aged.
"This is happening in spite of various intervention schemes whereby indigent residents of the state are routinely being assisted at the ministry as well as the Zakkat and Endowment Committee.”
Katami enumerated some of the intervention schemes to include the payment of N6,500 monthly allowance to each of the nearly 7,000 physically-challenged persons by the committee.
Others, he noted, include the distribution of assorted medicine worth about N8million free as well as food items to indigent patients monthly.

"The state government is also routinely assisting the indigent persons with money to rehabilitate their houses, marry off their sons and daughters and assistance to orphans as well as widows, among others.
"But, we are now pondering on convening a meeting between the state and its neighbors, like Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and Katsina states to proffer plausible solutions to the menace.
"This became imperative as majority of the street beggars were not from the state, with some of them even coming from the neighbouring Niger Republic,” Katami said.
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