FCTA evacuates 217 destitutes, street beggars to Kano, Katsina, others

FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja

 

Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has repatriated About 217 destitute, street baggers and vagabonds, evacuated from the street of the Federal Capital City, Abuja, to Katsina, Kano and other States

 

Alhaji Sani Amar-Rabe, Director, Department, Social Welfare Services, Social Development Secretariat (SDS) of the FCTA, disclosed in an interview with newsmen at the FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre in Bwari Area Council, shortly after dispatching officials of the department to transport the destitute and beggers to their various states.

 

He explained that the repatriation was in compliance with the order by the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu and the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Mr. Olusade Adesola, who instructed the department of social welfare services to rid the city of human and environmental nuisances.

 

He stated that it was the responsibility of the FCTA to ensure that those evacuated from the streets were repatriated to their various states.

 

” We are here in respect of repatriation of the apprehended destitute, street baggers, street boys and vagabonds who were profiled, their health challenges were equally attended to and they show no interest in learning vocational skills.

 

” They only show interest to be out to be attended to what they consider to be a liberty sort of, to continue doing their destitution.

 

“But those who have a good mindset, embrace skills acquisition for empowerment. So, that is the purpose of our coming to this centre today.

 

” Today we don’t have many; they are just 217 beggars and street boys that are to be repatriated, mostly to Katsina, Kaduna, Niger, Jigawa, Kano, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states.

 

“And this time around we have some from Abia, Imo and Delta states.”

Amar-Rabe revealed that the FCT Minister of State, Aliyu, had been in contact with some of the state governments through their Liaison Offices, to ensure that the affected states were more responsive in addressing and managing the repatriated destitute and beggars.

 

” What we noticed from some of the destitute and baggers as well is that they consider the FCT safer and economically viable, especially those of the North West and the North East.

 

” So people from these zones move to Abuja for survival and some of them, we discovered that begging and destitution has become an attitude to them.

 

” The street boys that constitute menace and defaced the Federal Capital City, some of whom at a particular point in time, manifest into another threat to the security of the residents especially those that do sleep under bridges claiming to be destitute but most of them are criminals.”

 

The director called on the FCT residents, especially the well-to-do, to desist from giving alms and charity to the street beggars “because it is encouraging them to continue to remain on the streets and constitute a nuisance to the city.”

” We have been on that advocacy through different media and we are appealing to the media both print and electronics, to continue to enlighten the public about the negative impact of patronising street beggars.

 

” We have clusters of Persons with Disabilities in KaronMajigi Community on the airport road and we have many orphanages, anybody who wishes to donate can go to such places and give charity.

 

” Also, in Yangoji, Kwali Area Council, by the roadside, there is Alheri Special Village, the village is mainly for persons affected with leprosy and their family.

 

“It is a very large cluster with a very large population of humans who are indigents and deserve such charity.”

 

Malam Bala Dantsoho, the Principal, of FCT Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Bwari, said most of those that were repatriated are untrainable. Therefore, they have to be repatriated to their various states.

 

Dantsoho, who decried the proliferation of street baggers and destitute in the FCT, urged state governments to be more proactive in tackling destitution.

Also, Authorities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA)has vowed to go all out to check the activities of illegal developers and land grabbers who are making money off unsuspecting Nigerians, as it uncovers several unapproved plots set aside by illegal developers for proposed estates.

Director of the FCT Department of Development Control, Tpl. Mukhtar Galadima revealed that land speculators were moving into the undeveloped areas of the Idu Industrial layout and allocating plots to themselves without the right approval from the government.

 

Galadima said most of the proposed estate lands concentrated around the Hikimi village at Idu, were at the excavation and fence levels, with gatehouses erected on some of them.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the removal of the perimeter fences, the director regretted that the land grabbers have become so brazen to advertise on social media and conventional platforms.

 

“About a month ago we intimated to the citizens about the rising cases of land grabbing in the FCT particularly the social media platforms to advertise their commodities. This is part of the actualization of our briefing.

 

“Today, we are at Idu Train Station where we have seen instances of people just coming to parcel land, allocate it to themselves without recourse to the government concerned. That’s why we have to make good our promise that we have to it real and that’s why we are here this morning to make it real.”

He said the oldest marking has been since 2019 and since then the plot has not been developed.

“You can see how the whole place has been fenced by these grabbers so we have to nip it in the bud. The estates involved in this illegality are numerous. They just parcel them and fence them. But this is just the beginning. Tomorrow we will reinforce and come back in full force with heavy-duty equipment to do the work.

Galadima who noted that most of the estates were at the stage of fencing and excavating, added that their advertisement has been widely spread.

“Like we have been creating awareness, we advise people not to buy land on social media but go through the right channel to get their land purchases right because “the administration is committed to seeing that we have done away with these illegalities.”

He called on custodians of the FCT master plan, (the Department of Urban and Regional Planning) to hasten and conclude the process of redesigning phase 5 of the Federal Capital City so illegal developers and land grabbers don’t go about allocating land to themselves.

 

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