Ban On Street Begging: Arewa Youths Throw Weight Behind FCT Minister, Call On Islamic Clerics To Do Same

A northern youths group has called on Islamic clerics to stop attacking the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyeson Wike for his move to sanitise the nation’s capital by disbanding beggars and begging on the streets of Abuja.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the National Secretary, Arewa Youths for Peaceful Coexistence, Hon. Haruna Bature, and that of Abuja Chapter, Hon.Mark Ogah Okpanachi.

The statement made available to Channel Network Afrique, CNA said Islam as a religion discourages begging as a trade.

According to the statement, begging in the FCT has turned into a lucrative but very embarrassing trade that cuts across all ethnic divides of the country.

The statement said the decision of the Minister to get rid of beggars in Abuja is a plausible development that will enhance the security, status and decency standards within and around the Federal Capital Territory as such should not be seen as an act intended to hurt or malign any particular group of individuals in the society.

“The attention of the Arewa Youths for Peaceful Coexistence has been drawn to recent attacks by a cross section of Muslim Clerics on the Hon. Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (F.C.T.), Abuja following the

“The Arewa Youths for Peaceful Coexistence wishes to observe that begging in the F.C.T. has turned to be a lucrative but very embarrassing trade which cuts across all ethnic divides of our Nation.

“We therefore wish to call on all Muslim Clerics not to see the decision as a witch-hunt because It was stated in the holy Quran and the teachings practiced of islam abhors begging as a trade,” the statement said.