Anambra State Government has held an interactive session with representatives of Non-indigenes Association in the state on approaches to ending street begging, which is on the rise.
The meeting, which is the first of its kind, was chaired by the Commissioner for Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs, Lady Ndidi Mezue, aimed at rubbing minds with them on what could be done to clean up the streets of Anambra State of beggars through creating engaging ventures for them instead.
Anambra State, as one of the industrial and business hubs of Nigeria, is often home to many people, who migrate from different parts of the country to have a feel of a state widely acclaimed as the safest in Nigeria.
This day-by-day influx of people into the state has lately been compromised by the continuous rise in the number of beggars, who converge on busy areas of the state, with results from their activities often ending in crimes, child abuse and other social menace.
It is against this ugly turn of events, that the Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, gave a directive to the Ministry of Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs, to find an immediate solution to the development.
At the meeting, the members made varying suggestions including creation of a structure for the repatriation of beggars to their home states, including other ethnic groups in the task force that extract beggars, creating a strategic empowerment method for beggars and creating a vocational and rehabilitation programmes for poor non-indigenes among others.
Addressing the representatives of the Non-indigenes Association of Anambra State, Lady Ndidi maintained that the state’s responsiveness to non-indigenes remains intact, but noted that the state frowns at the spate of begging in its major streets, a development that has marred the environmental sanity of the state.
The Commissioner who expressed sadness at the use of under-aged kids for begging, warned that the state government has geared up to prosecute anyone, who uses minors for alms begging.
Earlier in his opening remark, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare Children and Women Affairs, Dr. Dan Ezeanwu, said that the meeting was a proactive step that portrays Anambra State as a liberal environment that believes in residential rights, adding that events that necessitated the interaction would be properly tackled.
On his part, the leader of Non-indigenes Association of Anambra State, Igwe Amos Nkwuda, commended Anambra State Government for choosing to interact with them instead of resorting to definitive actions.
In his submission, which was adopted as the final motion of the session, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Obiano on Public Utilities and Legal Adviser of the cabinet members of Non-indigenes Association of Anambra State, Barrister Victor Meji, suggested that the representatives would get back to their members with the points raised at the meeting and come back on a later date with a communiqué.
Non-indigenes Association of Anambra State is an umbrella body of people resident in Anambra State but are from other states across the country.
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