Jigawa Govt. Advocates For Joint Enabling Law To Prohibit Street Begging In The 19 Northern States

Umar Faruk Usman

The Jigawa State government has advocated for the joint enactment of enabling law between the 19 Northern states prohibiting street begging by Almajiris as well as street hawking by young girls who usually come from the rural areas.

The Special Adviser to  Jigawa State governor on Religious Affairs and Shari’a Implementation  Sheik Mujtaba Saleh Kwalam stated this while declaring a two-day programme on cross learning on Conflict resolutions organized by the state Hisbah Command supported by M4D held at Manpower development Institute, Dutse, on Wednesday.

He said that the law should also compel parents who have formed the culture of sending children to  Tsangaya schools to cities and towns as well to pay schools fees for them as was obtained in model school in order to discourage  the pupils from begging.

He lamented that it is only in the North that young children are taken to Quranic schools under the guise that they will memorize the Glorious book so fast, adding that in other sections of the Country, it is very rare to see their people no matter how deformed they are doing the public begging.

He said that was why the state government formed the Conflict resolution Committee between families and saddled it with the responsibility of finding ways of educating adult and young ones through formal way, he pointed that illiteracy of parents especially those at rural settings who lacks knowledge on how to worship God Almighty is militating against development.

He said that the committee was also directed to find out how government and wealthy people will build Islamaiyya schools where adult consult clerics and  be taught Islamic religion.

Sheik Taura further stated that Jigawa state government has gone far in protecting rights of women, children and even people with special needs, as he added that obeying the rules of God was the only way of living in peace and stability.

He further disclosed that illiteracy makes people do careless comments that made them divorce their wives without stating that divorce has many classifications, he pointed that the research he conducted in the state showed that hospitals cause a number of rape cases in the state, not the police or the courts. He added further that many parents were afraid to take their daughters to hospitals for examination if they are raped while health workers sometimes do not release the reports of their findings to the police which will assist in their investigations.

He said that state government has embarked upon prosecuting rapists as part of efforts to protect the rights of women and young girls and assured of government’s readiness to partner with M4D in whatever programme it will conduct in the state.

In his welcome address, the Commander General of the state Hisbah Command Ustazu Aminu Baba Waziri stated that fear of stigmatization and damage of reputation were the some of the reasons some why some parents do report rape cases to authorities concern.

He said that their committee has resolved marriage cases and herders’ cases using the conflicts resolution strategies adding that the committee will go a long way in reducing divorce.