Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano has declared that any school age children who beg on the streets instead of going to school will be arrested and prosecuted in the state.
The Nation reports that Ganduje made this known in an interactive session with UNICEF Youth Advocacy in Government House, after declaring free primary and secondary education for school age children in the state.
The governor said his administration and the Emir of Kano, His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi 11 have concluded plans to send a bill to the state House of Assembly to that effect.
According to him, when the bill is finally signed into law, parents who refused to send their children to school will be taken to court.
He said: “Children begging on the street instead of going to school will be arrested and their parents arrested and charged to court for prosecution, because begging is not our religion.
Begging is not Islam. Those children who are begging will be arrested and their parents will be taken to court for allowing their children to be begging instead of attending school.
“We hope you as development partners, when we are being accused by mischievous people; we want you to come forward and defend us.
Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano has declared that any school age children who beg on the streets instead of going to school will be arrested and prosecuted in the state.
“Anything we do for the development of education, if we receive undue criticism, I urge you to demonstrate and we will give you protection. That is the only way we can get a change.
Otherwise, all what we are doing will remain theoretical.” The governor said Kano state is the most populous state in the federation, adding that they want the population to be a quality one.
He pointed out that there were countries in the world that don’t have a drop of oil, but yet their economy is strong. He said the main reason is education, even development and technology.
“So, we being the most populous state in the world, we want our population to be an asset. As China has conquered the world as a result of population that is how Kano will conquer Nigeria as a result of population,” the governor said.
Ganduje said his administration has ensured that over 30, 000 primary and secondary school teachers get qualified certificates, adding that as it stands, Kano has less than three percent unqualified teachers, “and we are ensuring that they go back to school for their qualified certificate.