Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Last year, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, removed 861 beggars from the streets of Abuja. Of this number, 228 were taken to the FCT Rehabilitation Centre in Bwari while the rest were repatriated to their home states in collaboration with the respective state governments.
Unfortunately, some of the destitutes taken to the rehabilitation centre have absconded and returned to the streets to beg, probably because the practice is more beneficial to them.
Many of the beggars are seen along Zuba-Kubwa Highway, Wuse, Jabi and other parts of Abuja. It is believed that most of the beggars migrated from other states because of the ban on begging in those states. States that have banned street begging include Kaduna, Kano and Katsina.
In this interview, the Principal of FCT Rehabilitation Centre, Bwari, Comrade Bala Musa, who is physically challenged, shades light on the situation, and explains that 90 per cent of “beggars in the FCT are not people with disabilities. They are pretending. It is very rare to see people with disabilities in Abuja begging on the streets except some few old women.”
What led to the establishment of the centre and how is it executing its mandate?
The centre was established to rehabilitate people with disabilities that are found on the streets. Currently we have about 200 inmates who are undergoing rehabilitation.
As to be expected, a rehabilitation centre is more or less a training school and operates like a boarding school, where the inmates are trained in skills and also get psychological rehabilitation.
In terms of skill acquisition, we train them in trades such as metal fabrication, tailoring, designing, electronics, leather works and carpentry as well as computer operation.
How long has the centre been in existence?
It started in 2003. More than 5000 trainees have successfully passed out of the centre. The first set, numbering 288, passed out on August 5, 2005. Since then we have been having successful trainees pass out of the centre every year.
When they complete their training, do you provide them any take-off grant?
Yes, each successful trainee is given a starter pack by the FCT and cash grant of N100,000 to establish a micro enterprise. It is interesting that so many of them are doing well in Abuja and its environs.
What makes some of the inmates abscond from the centre?
There is nobody that comes to the centre and does not stay. That is the truth.
What of people on the road?
It is not true. That may have happened in the past. Not after I was appointed to head the centre.
Do they live with their families in the centre?
Why should they have families in the centre? It is not a settlement. So, why should families be there?
What of married inmates?
When we started this programme during the time Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), what happened was that for those that were married and had no place to stay, we established a community-based vocational rehabilitation for them. If they are up to five, six, seven or eight, we established a centre there and assigned a trainee to train them there. But at the moment we have finished with those that are married and living in Abuja.
What of those that would soon get married?
They can’t get married if they don’t have source of income. Why should you marry when you don’t have a source of income? If you don’t have a means of livelihood why should you get married?
Does it not happen?
If it does I don’t know about that. As far as I am concerned, in FCT it does not happen. Go to Area 1, Garki, you will see our graduates. None of them is begging.
There are those that we did not establish but they learnt from us and they established enterprises for themselves and abandoned begging. If you see any beggar, he has not been in Abuja. He came to Abuja.
What are you doing to take them away from the streets?
The problem most people don’t understand is that some states have started enacting laws prohibiting begging. Because of that, beggars run away from those states and come to Abuja. But when the FCT Taskforce brings them to the centre, we will interview them and see the possibility of rehabilitating them. However, the influx is so much. So, it is not the responsibility of FCT Administration to take care of all the people with disabilities that are trooping into Abuja. Their states too should take the responsibility. So, what we do now is that as long as you don’t belong to FCT and you came in the name of begging, we repatriate you to your state. That is what normally happens.
How can FCT stop the influx?
It is not going to be easy except the FCT enacts a law prohibiting begging. That is the only way out. And there is no law in this country that prohibits people from moving to other states. So, this is a big issue that most times the law does not cover. But I guarantee you that anyone you see on the streets begging, he has just come to Abuja from another state.
How long does the training last?
It depends on the person. It is either one year or two years. It depends on the person’s ability to understand.
Do they like to stay longer than necessary because of the free food?
No. I have never seen that. I have never experienced that since I started. None. The issue is this, when you learn something, the skills you have acquired will spur you to go out and utilise it you feel an urge to be on your own. You want to see yourself practising it. So, I have never seen a situation whereby somebody would love to remain in the centre because of free food.
What do you do to some graduates who might not be doing well?
That is why rehabilitation has stages. After rehabilitation you have placement, then follow-up. So, we are placing and following them up. And they are also trained to know that they have the right to come to the centre any time they have a little challenge. We keep track of them.
How often do you monitor them?
The skills they have acquired is not something you monitor them so closely. They are now technical people. So, they work. Sometimes when you are passing by you see him and what he has done. I can even give you an address to see some of them in Jabi, Abuja. I have not seen anyone of them that is not doing well. Some of them are not even in the country. Some are employed. People with disabilities have abandoned begging in FCT.
What of those that I see everywhere?
Are you sure they are disabled persons? Many of them are pretending. More than 90 per cent of the beggars in Abuja pretend to be disabled. One man was caught and brought to my centre. When I saw him begging outside with closed eyes, I told people that he was not blind. Then I asked if he could recognize my voice. When he opened his eyes and saw me he ran away. Then people ran after him and caught him.
So, what is the FCT Administration doing to stop pretenders?
That is why I told you that 90 per cent of beggars in FCT are not people with disabilities. They are pretending. It is very rare to see people with disabilities in Abuja begging on the streets except some few old women that I know. Some are very old who have lived on begging for years and are weak to learn a trade. There is nothing you can do for them to take them out of the streets. There are those of them in Karamajiji. FCT and voluntary organisations always provide training for them. But such category of people are always found on the streets and brought to the centre. But there is nothing you can do with them. They have outlived their lives. Even if they learn anything they will not do it because they have lived on it for decades. There is nothing you can do for them except you confine them in one place and provide for them. Otherwise, you will still see them outside begging. But I assure you those that are young and have conscience, you don’t see them begging.
From what age do you admit them into the centre?
From the age of three to 35 or 40. But if you are up to 50, 60 and you have been begging what else can somebody do for you?
How do you graduate a three-year old?
It is not about graduating now. It is about training him. You don’t just graduate. We keep training such underage persons. If he has not been to school, we train him in the conventional schools, from nursery, post-nursery, primary. I have so many of them that I don’t even know their parents. Right now they are in secondary schools.
Do you go beyond secondary school level in training them?
We have skill for all. We don’t care about your level of education. Our concentration is skills. We want them to be self-dependent. We can’t take you to a university. But we will give you all the impetus you need to make you feel that you can be on your own and you can aspire on your own. You can even sponsor yourself to school when you have a source of income. That is what we do.
How much does it cost FCT to keep this going?
If we have say, 300 to train in a year, remember it has to go with their graduation. Each student should go with a N100,000 grant. Then multiply it by 300. That will give you how much? Each starter pack will cost between N150,000 and N200,000. It depends on the skills. That is on the graduation alone. It will cost FCT N300,000 per person apart from feeding him for the period. Feeding will take N1 million. I am speaking as a person. I don’t do contract. We don’t buy the foods. So, I am telling you conservatively that we can spend N1 million for 300 persons in a month.
Do you separate female hostels from males?
Yes. They are not together. They can’t live together. Why should they. We have hostels.
How big is the centre?
It is too wide. If I am not mistaken it should be more than 12 hectares of land. It could be more than that. At the moment we have 80 rooms. Four blocks each for male and female. Each block has 10 rooms. So, we have four blocks for female, four blocks for male.
How many workers do you have?
We have 21 workers.
How many drug addicts do you have in the centre?
Most of them come in here mainly for drugs-related issues But in the process of getting them out of drugs, they still have to learn one or two trades. For them, graduation is not important because they have work to do. At the moment I have about 30 of them. But they keep on coming.
How do they come to the centre?
Sometimes the authorities bring them and sometimes their parents who learnt about the place bring them.
Do you have enforcement team?
We have a special taskforce that works with the Environmental Protection Board.
Please tell us about yourself.
I was not born with disability. It happened to me later in life. I just fell down and that was it. Then I went to a primary school in Bokos Local Government Area, Plateau State. From there I went to Government Teachers College, Zawang. I happened to be the only physically challengeg person there in Jos South. Later IU went to University of Jos where I read for degree in Special Education. In terms of skills, I specialized in metal fabrication. Nobody trained me. I came to this world with talents. Nobody took me to school in the whole family. I have been an advocate for better dignified means of livelihood for people living with disabilities in this country. I pioneered a Department of Metal Fabrication at the rehabilitation centre in Jos before coming down to FCT.