Beggars storm LASG secretariat, Assembly
AUGUST 7, 2012 BY SESAN OLUFOWOBI 68 COMMENTS
Beggars in Lagos State on Monday temporarily halted activities at the state secretariat, Alausa and the House of Assembly as they protested against alleged harassment by government officials and plan to bar them from operating in the state
They also expressed their displeasure at the poor state of the government’s Rehabilitation Centre at Owutu, Ikorodu.
The beggars, who were mainly of the northern extraction, carried placards and chanted solidarity songs. They blocked the main entrance to the secretariat, causing gridlock.
They later moved to the assembly where they prevented motorists from entering the complex.
Their spokesperson, Hassan Zakariwa, said the protest was to let the public know about their plight and how government officials had been arresting them.
He alleged that at many of their members were being detained at the rehabilitation centre under inhuman condition.
Zakariwa further alleged that some of the beggars, who could not withstand the inhuman treatments meted out to them at the camp, paid N45, 500 each before they were released.
He said, “The money is usually paid into government’s account at Zenith Bank. The place they called a rehabilitation centre was actually a prison yard.
“About 63 to 65 people are put in one room. We are telling the government to treat us as human beings and not animals.”
The beggars in a statement also accused the government of planning to bar them from street begging.
The statement signed by Zakariwa read in part, “First, our movement within Lagos State metropolis has been restricted; such that anyone caught roaming on the road will be taken to a prison in Ikorodu (Rehabilitation Centre). At the prison, belongings of those arrested will be seized and they will be maltreated by the management.
“Above all, it has come to our notice that very soon, anybody found giving alms to us will be apprehended and jailed for two years.
“We are handicapped, even the able bodied men, graduates cannot get jobs to do. We cannot survive without begging for alms. We don’t force people to give us alms but we cannot understand why the government is interested in banning alms begging in the state.”
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Major Tunde Panox (retd.) later addressed them.
He said their complaints and the allegations would be investigated.
“I assure you, these allegations would be tabled before the governor later today (Monday). Right now, the governor cannot meet you because the State Executive Council meeting is on and it won’t end until evening,” Panox said.
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What happen to their states, if Abuja can deal rudely with them and they cannot resist what are they to Lagos or the south let them go back to their states of origin?
How many states in the north have school for the blind or for the disables? Almost all the states in the south have schools for sufferers’ of different disability but in the north it is school for almajirs (beggars) they want.
Even though we hav bad leaders,we are practising (& devlpg in) FEDERALISM & anybody not okay with d laws of a state should change base or go home.Better still, they CAN/MAY/SHOULD instead gather their protesting resources & use it against boko haram & their conservative laeders.
AGAIN,GOD WILL DELIVER D TRUE BEGGARS AMONG THEM OF THEIR BURDEN(AMEN).
WELL, WE ARE YET TO SEE THE EVIL MOTIVES OF THESE NORTHERNERS. HOPELESS AND EVIL MINDED LAZY TRIBE.
THERE WILL BE NO PEACE UNTIL WE GO SEPARATE WAYS. UNITY IS STRENGTH BUT NOT THE CASE OF NIGERIA.
FROM MAURITANIA TO NIGERIA, IT IS FULANI AND WARS. PLEASE WE SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT THIS FULANI PEOPLE MAKE UP SMALL PERCENT IN ABOUT 23 COUNTRIES OF AFRICA APART FROM GUINEA CONAKRY WHERE THEY ARE DOMINANT IN TERMS OF POPULATION. THIS FULANI PEOPLE ARE MERE SIMPLE MINORITY IN NIGERIA TODAY. IF THEY CHOSE HAUSA/FULANI TO COMPOUND THEIR FORCE(S) IS NO LONGER NEWS TO OUR SOCIETY. SO THE PEOPLE WE SEE AS BEGGARS ARE NOT MERE BEGGARS. THEY ARE SWORN ENEMIES. YES, I DO NOT HAVE MERCY FOR THESE PEOPLE AT ALL. ORDINARILY, THEY ARE NOT DIFFERENT FROM THE REST NORTHERNERS. TO EVERYTHING, THERE IS A SEASON. A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO HATE. ECCL; 3
LAGOS GOVT SHOULD NOT BE INTIMIDATED. GOV. FASHOLA SHOULD GO AHEAD AND GET RID OF THEM OFF OUR STREETS. TO BE REALISTIC, IF THE PEOPLE OF JOS COULD GO THROUGH THESE SUFFERINGS, THEN IT IS AN EYE OPENER TO US ALL. A VISITOR TURN MASTER MENTALITY WOULD NEVER CEASE TO OCCUPY THE MINDS OF THESE ”BORN TO RULE” SECT.
God bless u Fashola
One of the problems planted by our past and present greedy Northern leaders.
The North ruled Nigeria for decades; they could not eradicate polio, blindness and many other dieses common in the North. Today we are all seeing their inability to develop their region and Nigeria at large. Victims of all these dieses are all over Nothern and other states begging. I am sure Ahamadu Bello will not be happy where he is now.
If u fail to hear him cry 4 justice and fair play. Who is deaf? u or he?
If u fail to stand for his right who is crappie? He or u?
lastly, every evil done by man to man will return to him at god time!
seriously, if they are not well taken care of in d rehabilitation centre, d govt. Should look into it while am sure dat d govt give out money 4 this purpose but is it used 4 that purpose? Even d bible acknowledges that there will always b poor among us, we can help them, so these people can go back 2 d rehab & b trained in a vocational skill, d money generated from their hand-work is enough to pay them & maintain d rehab.
Finally, I bought a tissue oneday, amazed @ d quality I decided 2 check 4 d company name, only 2 discover that it was done by d handicaps & @ an affordable rate, so I believed dat if properly looked into these people can b useful 2 themselves & community @ large. Afterall aren’t we our brother’s keeper?