The House of Representatives has initiated an investigation into the Abuja Rehabilitation Centre located in Bwari Area Council and the social protection initiatives of the Federal Capital Territory Administration.
This decision followed a motion titled “Need to Investigate the Abuja Rehabilitation Centre and the Social Protection Programmes of the FCT,” brought forward by Bashiru Dawodu, who represents Oshodi-Isolo 1 Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
While presenting the motion, Dawodu highlighted that the FCT administration had launched a campaign on October 22, 2024, to address street begging in Abuja as part of efforts to enhance security and improve the city’s image.
“The majority of these beggars are persons with disabilities,” Dawodu explained. He added that factors such as poverty, unemployment, internal displacement, and cultural issues exacerbate the situation, along with the prevalence of Almajiri children.
He noted that attempts to curb street begging in the FCT date back to 2003 when successive administrations employed law enforcement measures to apprehend, prosecute, or repatriate beggars to their states. However, these efforts have yielded limited success.
“The strategy has failed because it provides only a short-term solution. The beggars soon return, often relocating to new areas,” Dawodu stated.
The lawmaker expressed concern about the inadequacies of the FCT’s existing rehabilitation efforts. “The Federal Capital Territory has only one semi-functional rehabilitation centre in Bwari, which is underfunded and offers suboptimal services,” he said.
Dawodu warned that the absence of long-term strategies, such as proper rehabilitation programs, monthly survival allowances, Almajiri feeding initiatives, and resettlement plans for internally displaced persons, could render efforts to end street begging ineffective.
“If these issues are not addressed with adequate funding and robust social protection programs, street begging will remain intractable,” he added.
The House of Representatives has subsequently mandated its Committee on Disabilities to investigate the state of the Abuja Rehabilitation Centre and the FCT Administration’s social protection programs.
The committee is expected to report its findings within four weeks to guide further legislative action.
