The Council of Ulama has condemned the Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s decision to ban street begging across the state.
The chairman of the council, Ibrahim Khalil, who expressed dissatisfaction with Ganduje’s policy on street begging said the action is not feasible and the government is not serious.
It would be recalled that the Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje had on February 25 announced a ban on street begging by children popularly referred to as Almajiris.
Khalil speaking further noted that the ban on street begging was hurriedly taken.
While tracing the history of street begging in the state, he stated that;
Our opinion is on three to five issues, firstly, if we view the history of banning street begging since the time of Sir Ahmadu Bello, when they were making efforts to ban street begging but were opposed by the Ulama because they saw it as a way of keeping people away from Quranic or religious studies.
Khalil added that the issue was politicized then, and also during the reign of Governor Audu Bako Alhaji in 1967.
According to the council chairman, the right steps have not been followed and begging cannot stop because the correct measures have not been put in place.
In his words, Khali said;
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 noise-making.Or they might have been accused of something from somewhere for which they simply organize a ceremony and that is all. That is our opinion
He added that;
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 that ‘The king’s instruction lasts only seven days.’
