Anambra evacuates 9,213 beggars for Ojukwu’s motorcade

Anambra evacuates 9,213 beggars for Ojukwu’s motorcade

Peter Obi

There was mild drama in some streets of Awka and Nnewi as Anambra State government yesterday evacuated beggars and suspected mentally deranged people. 

  About 9,213 beggars and suspected mad people were evacuated. 

Some of the beggars ran away when a combined team of the police and other security agencies with government officials stormed the streets of Awka and Nnewi. 

Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ego Cordelia Uzoezie, who supervised the exercise, said the raid was in accordance with the wish of the late Ojukwu. 

She said those evacuated would be taken to the state government rehabilitation centre at Nteje  Skill Acquisition centres to acquire skills. 

Mrs. Uzoezie said: ‘’His Excellency, late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu did not believe in Ndigbo begging for anything and his wish was that  no beggar would litter the streets of the capital city and environs on the day of his motor train to Nnewi or his state burial in Awka. Again, he believed in hard work and had encouraged our people to work hard hence we are striving to ensure his wish is carried out’.

 ‘’This government of Governor Peter Obi has decided that no citizen of Anambra would be a beggar and you know that Her Excellency ensured that the 21 skill acquisition centres in the 21 local government areas are working for the benefit of women and youths. Then why should anybody be a beggar?

‘’This would enable us to know our citizens who are beggars and ascertain those who are into child hawking. We would repatriate non indigenes and rehabilitate our citizens who are beggars or mentally unbalanced  and  others would be engaged in learning a skill or the other.’’