Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo says his administration is set to begin the evacuation of street beggars who are not ready to accept decent and meaningful ventures.

Mr Obaseki said this while addressing the Muslim faithful who were on a courtesy visit to the Government House, on Monday.

The governor said that anybody arrested for street begging would be evacuated to the farm settlement to work.

“There are lots of farm settlements, and more hands are needed to cultivate the lands,” he said, noting that if the beggars did not want to work, they would be sent back to where they came from.

The governor warned that anyone whose children were not in school but on the street begging or trading would be arrested and prosecuted.

Mr Obaseki stressed that he would no longer allow street begging in the state in the next few weeks or months. He said that his administration believed that basic education was the right of every child in the state.

On inadequate teachers, he said that his administration had employed 3,062 teachers in rural communities to enhance the education system in the state.

Earlier, the Chief Imam of Benin Central Mosque, Abdulfatai Enabulele, commended the governor for his administration’s developmental stride.

(NAN)