Kano Council of Ulamas has taken a swipe on Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano over his decision to ban street begging in the state, saying that the governor lacked the political will to enforce the ban.
Addressing journalists in Kano, the Chairman of the council, Ibrahim Khalil stressed that the Ganduje’s pronouncement will no less amount to a waste of time and resources.
“The main problem is that the policy will not last just like what pass government did. Even the government that says it has barred begging is not serious about it. It will ban it and after a while it will return.
“Just like the Hausa saying ‘The kings instruction last only seven days’. For me, I think the steps by which begging could effectively be banned are not followed at all by Governor Ganduje.
“The right steps to follow in banning street begging include firstly, the Quranic clerics involved have to be identified.
“Because there are street beggars who are Quranic students, there are beggars who are sent by their parents, there are also physically challenged individuals.
“All these forms of street beggars need to be identified and each one be addressed accordingly. But they have not done that,” Mr Khalid lamented.
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The Islamic scholar, therefore, challenged the state government to rather address the major cause of child beggar in Kano, instead of imposing policy that might not stand the test of time.
“If you want to stop street begging you have to come up with a perfect plan that will bring together, the Quranic teachers, the wealthy in the society, religious organizations, non-religious organizations and other stakeholders, to deliberate and even found the perfect plan that would be implemented. It is the citizens that should be used along with the Quranic teachers.”
“To us at the Council of Ulama, the government cannot do it and is not serious about it. They are just doing it to appease their masters abroad, or get their money or some kind of noisemaking.
“Or they might have been accused of something from somewhere for which they simply organise a ceremony and that is all. That is our opinion.
“The government is not serious and cannot do it because it has not taken the right steps to it”, Mr Khalid added.
