The Abuja Environmental Protection Board
(AEPB) arrested 144 beggars and other
destitute persons in the city centre within the
last three weeks, an official said. The Head of
Information and Outreach Programme, AEPB,
Mr Joe Ukairo, told newsmen in Abuja on
Tuesday that the board made the arrests
during a “massive operation’’. Ukairo said the
board had adopted stricter and sustainable
measures of evacuating beggars from the
streets.
“We discovered that they still come to the
street after evacuation but this time around
we are taking more stringent measures to
make sure they don’t come back. “What these
beggars do is when they see our vehicle
coming they run away but now there are
undercover approaches adopted by the board
to tackle this problem,’’ he said. Ukairo said
that the board would, henceforth, take
pictures and personal data of all beggars
arrested before returning them to their states
of origin. He said the step would enable the
board to know those who returned to the
street. The official said that after returning
the beggars home, AEPB would contact their
various state and local governments to be
part of their rehabilitation. Ukairo said that
without proper rehabilitation, it would be
very difficult to permanently get the beggars
off the streets of Abuja.
He said any beggar who wished to stay back
in the FCT would be taken to the
rehabilitation centre in Bwari Area Council to
learn a trade, such as carpentry, handicraft,
tailoring, soap making, among others.
“We discovered that the street tends to be
more lucrative for the beggars than the
government efforts to rehabilitate them and
provide vocational training,” he said.
Commenting on the reappearance of hawkers
in Wuse Market, Ukairo said the board would
not tolerate their activities in the city centre.
He said that the AEPB noticed that miscreants
hid under the cover of hawkers and traders
to snatch bags and other valuables from
residents at night. Ukairo said the board had
given 72 hours notice to hawkers to evacuate
Wuse Market and environs and stressed that
`there is no amount of sentiment that will
legalise illegality. “Government is ready to
support small scale businesses but it must be
within the provision of the law.‘’ He advised
that the hawkers go to the area councils to
start their businesses. He called on residents
to respect the board’s enforcement squad
and report any form of unethical behaviour
from them. (NAN)

http://blueprintng.com/new/2013/01/09/aepb-arrests-144-beggars-destitute-persons/

Insincere 9gerian it seems Fashola is not the only one relocating people.
Please when are you going to protest against this Abuja peeps?
Also remember to call in all radio and TV shows to curse them.

New tang in town, more like a craze, silly fashola wannabe(s). If u don't want poverty all around you, then, stop looting public money........... God pass all of una.

Lobatan o! Sincere 9gerian come and defend the action of Fg.. Fashola even help them with free transportation. I dey laugh o!

What they should have done long ago. The wife of the then Governor of kaduna state, senator mohammad makarfi did it back then. Engaged the ones that could trade and made most of them useful by sending them to vocational schools. Anyway not too late.

THIS NEW TREND IS WORRISOME,MAYBE VERY SOON WE WILL NEED VISA TO ENTER SOME STATES.
WHY CANT THESE GOVT OFFICIALS TRAIN OR SANCTION THESE SO CALLED ''destitute'' IN D STATE THEY WERE CAUGHT?

Fg to home states or rehabilitation vocational training vs LASG to upper Iweka Anambra state in the middle of the night & nowhere. This will be a very interesting thread indeed.

Next News will be Imo sends Abia citizens back home!!! I hope this country survives beyond 2015?

sir-p2007:
THIS NEW TREND IS WORRISOME,MAYBE VERY SOON WE WILL NEED VISA TO ENTER SOME STATES.
WHY CANT THESE GOVT OFFICIALS TRAIN OR SANCTION THESE SO CALLED ''destitute'' IN D STATE THEY WERE CAUGHT?

its indeed a very worrisome phenomenon but to be fair according to Mr Ukairo in the article, he claims the destitutes feel the streets are more lucrative than any vocational training they might get. I still believe constitutional & human rights lawyers should take this case scenario's up before it becomes a permanent though ugly fad.

Let's hear wot our hypocritical brothers will say to this..

I hope that rabid trolling dog would be clever enough to save some of his ammo for the war we are expecting he would declear on the federal govt as well!!

This happens everywhere in Nigeria but some people have taken it upon their heads to accuse only Fashola.

This is an eyesore and embarrassment

Aderostock:
He said any beggar who wished to stay back
in the FCT would be taken to the
rehabilitation centre in Bwari Area Council to
learn a trade, such as carpentry, handicraft,
tailoring, soap making, among others. (NAN)

http://blueprintng.com/new/2013/01/09/aepb-arrests-144-beggars-destitute-persons/

Notwithstanding the statement above, anyone, whether Fashola or GEJ or whoever, that openly or discretly supports deportation of Nigerians in Nigeria is evil, wicked and satanic. That is my position. Govt is elected to cater for the poor and rich. During elections, destitutes and poor people also vote and politicians do not reject their votes. In fact, the poor constitute the majority of voters. There's no justification to deport poor people. Govt must look for creative ways of lifting more and more people out of poverty.

Sincere 9gerian:
Notwithstanding the statement above, anyone, whether Fashola or GEJ or
whoever, that openly or discretly supports deportation of Nigerians in
Nigeria is evil, wicked and satanic. That is my position. Govt is
elected to cater for the poor and rich. During elections, destitutes and
poor people also vote and politicians do not reject their votes. In
fact, the poor constitute the majority of voters. There's no
justification to deport poor people. Govt must look for creative ways of
lifting more and more people out of poverty.

i shall agree with
you for the first time on this forum.i expect you to sit on the fence
most times and stop being a hypocrite and taking sides with your
clueless master.well said!

berem: i shall agree with
you for the first time on this forum.i expect you to sit on the fence
most times and stop being a hypocrite and taking sides with your
clueless master.well said!

I have a feeling you always agree with me in your heart, even though it is not expressed.

Can't this destitutes just go back to their respective home states so everyone can live in peace.Be it Abuja or Lagos.

P.S Some of this beggars/destitutes make more money than some office workers tho

berem: i shall agree with
you for the first time on this forum.i expect you to sit on the fence
most times and stop being a hypocrite and taking sides with your
clueless master.well said!

hahahahahahahaha... VERY FUNNY coming from you