Poor people are security threats
Wike is serious about getting beggars off the streets
Good morning, Big Brains. Mentally, I’m on a private island this morning, away from all the drama that comes with being a Nigerian. You’d understand why when you read about what your faves are up to in Abuja.
- Margaret
Word count: ~1000
Reading time ~ 3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Wike is out to get beggars
Ruto’s plan to tax Kenyans is back in motion
Miss Nigeria’s alleged identity theft case just got uglier
The Big Deal
Wike is out to get beggars
Poor Nigerians have officially become “security threats” and “embarrassments”, according to Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
On Tuesday, October 22, Wike announced that he no longer wants to see beggars on the streets of Abuja and that the government will no longer hesitate to punish any beggar they see on the streets moving forward.
His reason is simple: having beggars all over Nigeria’s capital was embarrassing for the government and the country. To him, it wasn’t a reality check or visual representation of the hardship in the country; it was just embarrassing.
Turns out Wike wasn’t joking about punishing beggars because just as he said, the planned effort to clear out beggars, street vendors, and scavengers started on Monday, Oct 28 and is still happening today.
On Monday alone, 34 people were detained. This crackdown has brought almost all the security agencies in Nigeria together – from the police, military, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
FCT Commissioner of Police Olatunji Disu also added that this crackdown is more than just an attempt at law enforcement—but a “national assignment” that’s supposed to restore order to the capital city.
Why is this a big deal?
Wike, a politician who has been accused of multiple corruption allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), treating citizens who have explored their available options and settled for street begging as criminals was not on our 2024 bingo card.
The World Bank’s latest data shows that poverty is on a crazy rise in Nigeria this year, with about 63% of Nigerian citizens living in multidimensional poverty. Not to mention the obvious but reforms like fuel subsidy removal and naira floating are the primary culprits behind the rise in poverty.
When poverty increases, people find new means of survival. In Nigeria, one of those means of survival has always been street begging. Unlike what Wike is implying, beggars are not security threats to the people in FCT, kidnappers are one of the major drivers of insecurity in FCT.
Yesterday, we revisited some of Tinubu’s attempts to reduce hunger in the country. From the temporary tax removal on food that never happened to the plan to distribute ₦50,000 to 100,000 households in all 36 states for three months – nothing has really lived up to the President’s promises. If these strategies are the best Tinubu has to offer, nothing will stop Nigerians from begging as a means of survival.
It’s interesting too that terrorists have allegedly been stopping power restoration in the North and security agents were not deployed there immediately. Yet almost all the agencies you can think of are “restoring order” in Abuja by detaining beggars.
Ruto’s plan to tax Kenyans is back in motion
In July 2024, thousands of Kenyan youths took to the streets, protesting against the finance bill (a bill proposing major tax hikes in Kenya). At least 39 people lost their lives during these protests. The tragic turn of events forced President William Ruto to withdraw the 2024 finance bill.
But he has brought it back through a backdoor. The gist involves a little flashback, so here we go– After taking office in September 2022, Ruto's government planned to increase taxes through the 2023 Finance Law (another set of tax reforms). This decision upset many people and led to protests which resulted in the deaths of over 60 Kenyans.
In a very unexpected turn of events, Kenya's Supreme Court has now reinstated the 2023 Finance Law. It almost feels like Ruto knows a thing or two about letting the noise die down before testing the waters again.
Like the 2024 Finance Bill, the 2023 Finance law also proposes outrageous tax hikes, including a doubling of VAT on fuel, a housing levy, and increased top personal income tax rates. We can’t say where Ruto’s head is at but Kenyans are not pleased with the decision.
Miss Nigeria’s alleged identity theft case just got uglier
Chidimma Adetshina, the beauty queen who recently won the title of Miss Universe Nigeria, has had quite a year. The problem is that things are about to become even more complicated for her.
If you remember, the controversy started when Adetshina, whose father is Nigerian and mother, is Mozambican, reached the finals of the Miss South Africa pageant. She officially stepped down from the competition after an investigation was launched into her mother’s alleged identity theft.
The South African Department of Home Affairs has given a sad update about its investigation. Adetshina and her mother failed to meet a deadline to defend their citizenship status, and now the beauty queen is at risk of losing her South African identity. The special investigative police unit, the Hawks, is treating the case as a fraud issue, with prosecutors expected to announce the final verdict soon.
But it’s not all sadness and pain for Adetshina. She’s currently in Mexico, preparing to represent Nigeria in the upcoming Miss Universe competition on November 16.
This Week’s Big Question
“What’s one thing that can significantly improve the quality of your life?”
Ben’s response - “Free money is going to make my life so much better right now. It’s been too long”
You can also share your response here, and if it’s as interesting as Ben’s, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
Trump Doesn't Want a Repeat of 2020's "Rigged" Results: The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, has repeatedly avoided promising to accept the outcome of the November 5 election. This stance hints at a possible repeat of his unverified 2020 claims that his loss to Joe Biden was due to election rigging.
Akpabio Chides Senator For Praising Bianca’s Beauty During Screening: Senate President Godswill Akpabio cautioned Senator Osita Ngwu for complimenting the beauty of Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu during a ministerial screening in the Senate on Wednesday.
If you enjoyed this edition of the newsletter, don’t forget to subscribe and share. You can also leave feedback for us in the comments or by filling out this form.