The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, said on Saturday that begging has no basis in Islam and challenged those engaging in the act to find legitimate means of earning a living. Newsmen report that Abubakar made the remark in Sokoto at the graduation of 2000 women trained in various skills by the Wife of Sokoto State Governor Hajiya Mairo Tambuwal.

The training was conducted in collaboration with Sokoto State Zakkat and Endowment Commission to empower the women drawn from the 86 districts of the state. The Sultan said, “our women should always desist from street begging, as it has no base in Islam and it only generates more harm than good among the society. “Women have always been the pillars for any societal development, so we need to do more in encouraging and supporting their living standard in order to yield a better society. Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III “Moreover empowering women is one of the positive base to a better, secured and productive society.” He commended Mrs Tambuwal for initiating the programme and admonished the beneficiaries to utilize the opportunity to enhace their livelihood.

Earlier, the governor’s wife had expressed appreciation to the Sultanate Council, the state government and Zakkat commission for supporting the initiative. She said that the skills training was principally to make women in the state self reliant. Mrs Tambuwal, who was represented by Hajiya Hauwa Muhammad, called on the beneficiaries to apply the new skills they acquired to uplift their economic status and contribute to the overall development of the state. The Overseer of the Zakat commission, Malam Lawal Maidoki, said that the 2000 women were carefully selected and empowered to live above the poverty line.