Withdraw anti-street begging law or else, beggars warn El-Rufai
– Beggars in Kaduna state staged a protest overthe bill banning street begging and hawking in the state
– The beggars have given Governor Nasir El-Rufai a seven-day ultimatum to withdraw the law
– They described the bill as contrary to the promises made to them during campaign
Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna state
Following the passage of the bill to ban street begging and hawking in Kaduna state, beggars on Wednesday, May 11, staged a protest over the law, giving Governor Nasir El-Rufai seven days ultimatum to withdraw the law, Vanguard reports.
The beggars comprising of the blind, the deaf, and the physically challenged, stormed the Kaduna state council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), saying that they did not mind sacrificing their lives against the law.
They said nobody could stop them from begging without providing alternative means of survival. The protesters raised placards with inscriptions that included, ‘El-Rufai, before stopping street begging, pass state disability bill’, ‘Fulfil your campaign promises before banning street begging’, and ‘Give us 10 percent job opportunity as you promised before banning street begging.’
Julius Shemang, the chairman of Concerned Citizens with Disabilities, speaking on the protest, said that the passage of the law contradicted the agreed process reached between them and the government that adequate provision and solutions would be proffered before the law would come into effect.
The Kaduna state governor had last week assented to the bill which the beggars described as contrary to the promises made to them during campaign, and threatened to occupy the government house in their large numbers if El-Rufai would not withdraw the law.
The governor’s decision didn’t go down well with the disables in the state which forced them to protest his decision. The bill, passed by the state assembly, would take effect from September 2016.
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