The 2023 National Coordinator of Presidential group support of Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the auspices of the Disciples of Jagaban (DOJ), Comrade Abdulhakeem Alawuje has called on political leaders in the North and Nigeria in general to support the administration of President Tinubu to address street begging phenomenon in Northern region.
Comrade Alawuje in a statement on Thursday noted that the number of school age children roaming and begging on the streets has become so alarming in recent time, adding that the social menace may cause global embarrassment to Nigeria among the comity of nations.
The Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) also noted that the street begging children are vulnerable to recruitment into banditry and insurgency if urgent steps are not taken by relevant authorities to tame the situation.
He said, “addressing the issue of street children would have positive effect on the fight against terrorism, banditry and other forms of criminality because with proper education and integration into the society, perpetrators of such evils would lack where to recruit followers”.
He however, urged the political leaders, particularly elected political office holders at the federal, state and local government levels, to work together towards protecting the basic rights of these children left to roam the streets by their parents.
Alawuje argued that leaving the task to the Federal Government alone may not be the best way to tackle the problem but for political leaders at all levels to join hands together to address the issue.
“If everything is concentrated on Federal Government, I am afraid all the efforts to stop banditry, kidnappings, and terrorism will pale into insignificance,” he said.
Alawuje warned that, “unlike in the past when such children turn up to be responsible adults, the situation presently is that most of them are prone to take up to crime because they grow up with a sense of rejection in the society.
“By neglecting the welfare of these children who grow up to become a menace to society, the political leaders are only endangering the lives of their own children.
“How could your children be happy when you turn millions of other citizens’ children into societal outcasts? Definitely, they will not allow your children and other innocent people to have peace,” he said.
Comrade Alawuje, therefore, called on all political office holders to return to base and start rescuing the abandoned youths and street beggars, with a view to safeguarding the future of the society.
“In the past, people adhered to the preaching about the fear of God from our spiritual leaders, but now the majority of them have commercialised preaching, the politicians have hijacked them for their political reasons.
“The bandits and kidnappers in the forest are not willing to turn over a new leaf. Worst still, they find easy followers amongst the army of children walking the streets, who now see what politicians are doing with the resources that belongs to the people as motivation to commit crime.
“Tell me how we intend to end security challenges in a nation like Nigeria where cheating, looting, and embezzling of public funds had been normalised and legalised”. Alawuje added.