By Innocent Odoh The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) is to create a database for all the arrested beggars and destitute taken to the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Kuchiko, in Bwari Area Council, Abuja.
FCT Minister, Muhammad Musa Bello, dropped this hint when he paid an unscheduled visit to the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, a statement issued on Tuesday by the Deputy Director/ Chief Press Secretary, Muhammad Hazat Sule, said.
The Minister, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye, said that the establishment of the database would avail the Administration adequate information on those arrested as well as affording the government the opportunity to make adequate arrangement for repatriation.
Bello directed that FCT Social Development Secretariat to ensure that all those arrested be captured in the database for easy reference.
He instructed that the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and the FCT Task Team on Environment to after the arrest of beggars and destitute, be assembled and registered before taken to the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre where the Social Development staff will officially receive and hand them over to the management of the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre.
The Minister also directed the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre to commence the process of repatriation of the beggars and destitute in earnest in line with the extant rules to their various states of origin where the social welfare officials in such states are to receive them officially.
Bello seized the opportunity to inspect the new borehole dug for the Centre by the FCT Administration and further directed that overhead tanks be provided and installed for immediate use by the inmates.
He asked the Social Development Secretariat to ensure that the pumped water is well reticulated; in addition the Secretariat should also fix all the street lighting points to illuminate the whole environment at nights.
The Principal of the Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, Comrade Bala Tsoho told that the Minister that 145 new beggars and destitute were just brought into the Centre.
He reiterated that the welfare of the inmates especially regular feeding has drastically improved since Bello came on board, the statement said.
