Nigeria Senate has urged the Federal Government to formulate policy that would integrate almajiris into the educational system in order to mop them from street begging.
Sponsor of the motion, Senator Sankara Abdullahi, representing Jigawa North-west Senatorial district alongside 28 others, expressed concern that street begging by the almajiris has been on the exponential increase.
The motion said, street begging was not only a scourge in Nigeria, but begging activities has extended to worship centres, thereby making it look like an Islamic culture.
“Notes with concern the exponential increase in the scourge of street begging and the nuisance it constitutes on the streets of major cities across the country. ”
Senator Sankara said begging used to be an activity of the physically challenged in the past, but has changed to corporate form as a result of sympathy of the society.
According to him, corporate beggars in Nigeria have taken advantage of begging to perpetuate crimes and remain jobless because they were getting cheap assistance.
In his contribution, Senator Rochas Okorocha expressed that the FG needed to awake to her responsibility in providing quality education to these set of people.
He said, as a philanthropist, he has been taxed hugely while providing free education for the less-privileged in the society through his foundation.
Adopting the motion after contributions by some Senators, Senate President, Dr Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan called on the Federal Government to provide vocational training centres.
“The Federal and State governments should set up vocational training centres to provide beggars with alternative means of livelihood thereby making them useful to the society. “
