A pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has described as preposterous, thoughtless, and wicked, the sensational claim by the new Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nyesom Wike, that he wants street hawkers, corn sellers out of Abuja streets because they create or enable insecurity in Abuja.
HURIWA, however, said that the biggest enablers of insecurity, not just in the nation’s Abuja, but all over Nigeria, were top government officials in charge of finances of the public sector and officers of government institutions, including military Generals who man the offices of procurement but allegedly line their pockets with filthy lucre.
The group also blamed transition from a ‘nobody’ to ‘somebody’ which he, Mr. Nyesom Wike, underwent by the help of benefactors and mother luck, for his new found hatred for the poorest of the poo; and reminded the Minister of the wise saying that if “the poor people can’t sleep because they are hungry, then the rich can’t sleep because the poor are awake.”
HURIWA stated that all that anyone who has respect for only evidence based assertions should do to ascertain exactly why there is insecurity in the country and in the seat of power, the FCT, was to scientifically recollect the conviction rates of criminals in Nigeria to know that top public office holders disgraced from their offices by the anti-corruption agencies of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other offences Commission (ICPC), constitute the bulk of the principal criminal characters, to then draw an error-proof conclusion that in no way can any rational mind blame street hawkers or corn sellers for enabling crimes and criminality.
The association recalled that few days ago when he arrived to assume duty, the Minister claimed that he has prohibited street vending in Abuja, saying that street traders, including those selling corn, contribute to crime and insecurity in the city.
He made the announcement during a meeting with the management staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Federal Capital Development Authority, urging them to prioritise doing what is right.
“The important thing we must do is to ensure that Abuja is back to what it ought to be. I moved around Abuja and found out there is total darkness in most of the places. What we need to do is to ensure light comes back as soon as possible,” he said.
Wike ordered the immediate cleanup of Abuja, adding: “If you are in charge of sanitation, I will call you at any time of the day. Street trading is prohibited. People selling corn will drop their waste indiscriminately and these are the things that cause insecurity. Criminals come to buy and use the opportunity to spy and give information to criminals. It is imperative we clear street hawkers.”
HURIWA however said that the case of Mr. Wike is that of someone whom the gods have buttered their bread and rescued them from deprivation, want, hunger, and political hustling, have suddenly become addicted to an unfathomable and unprecedented hatred for poor people such as beggars, corn sellers and other street hawkers. “Most of these hustlers are even university graduates who couldn’t find employment and white collar jobs and don’t want to go into crime or advanced fees fraud but decided to venture into petty trading with the abiding faith and hope that, one day God will butter their bread and perhaps mother luck may smile on them as it did on Wike and, then, make it possible for them to find better and much more profitable means of livelihoods,” the group said.
HURIWA in a statement by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, vehemently kicked against such wicked move to ban street trading which, it believed the Minister not being a lawmaker, lacked the legal right to so do but has to get a proper legislation from the National Assembly being the legislative House for the FCT. The group, however, made it clear that was not in any way against any effort to clean up the streets of Abuja and totally exonerated corn sellers from the accusation of being the enablers of crimes.
It stressed that it was impracticable to have a city centre devoid of street trading because even in advanced jurisdictions like New York in the USA, London in the United Kingdom, amongst a plethora of other urban areas around the World, street trading take place even though the traders themselves maintain the cleanliness of their trading environments and, in some cases, the street trading happens periodically within specific days in a week.
HURIWA therefore asked Mr. Nyesom Wike to focus his attention on how to stop procurement corruption in government offices and to think more about building enduring transportation system for the FCT, rejig and comprehensively reform the Department of Development Control within the FCDA who compromise with contractors and builders to allow substandard edifices that were now collapsing, to spring up in the first instance.
