How the New Nigerian newspaper captured the Northern Region’s welfare ambitions amid political instability and humanitarian concern
A Headline that Reflected Hope and Humanitarian Vision
On Thursday, 18 August 1966, the New Nigerian newspaper published a front-page headline that read: “Bold Plan for Beggars in North.” It captured one of the earliest documented efforts by the government of Northern Nigeria to address street begging, a deeply rooted social issue linked to poverty, displacement, and the almajiri system. The report came at a time of political uncertainty following Nigeria’s first military coup in January 1966 and the counter-coup in July that same year.
According to the New Nigerian edition, the regional government had approved the recommendations of a rehabilitation panel established to find sustainable solutions to begging in cities like Kaduna, Kano, and Zaria. The plan was considered ambitious, aiming not only to remove beggars from the streets but also to train and reintegrate them into productive sectors of society.
The 1966 Northern Nigeria Welfare Agenda
In the mid-1960s, Northern Nigeria faced a surge in urban poverty, compounded by migration and unemployment. Begging—both voluntary and enforced—had become a visible feature of many northern cities. The government under Lt.-Col. Hassan Katsina, who served as Military Governor of Northern Nigeria following the July counter-coup, sought to introduce reforms that would align welfare policies with the broader national effort to stabilise the country.
The New Nigerian report highlighted a rehabilitation committee’s findings, which recommended:
Establishing training centres for beggars to learn vocational skills.
Introducing social welfare programmes to support reintegration.
Providing housing and medical care for rehabilitated persons.
While the full text of the policy was not published in the newspaper, the initiative marked one of the earliest recorded attempts by any Nigerian regional government to frame poverty reduction as both a social and developmental issue rather than mere charity.
Other Stories from the 18 August 1966 Edition
The same front page featured additional reports that reflected the social climate of the time:
“Tiv Riot Prisoners Released” — covering the release of detainees involved in the 1960–1964 Tiv uprisings in the Middle Belt, an episode that revealed early strains in Nigeria’s regional and ethnic relations.
“Goat with Eight Legs, Three Ears, and Two Heads” — an oddity that drew attention amid serious political headlines, reflecting the human interest storytelling typical of the period.
A photograph of Lt.-Col. Hassan Katsina, symbolising the military government’s effort to project order after months of national unrest.
Historical Context: The North in Transition
The New Nigerian newspaper itself was established in 1966 by the government of Northern Nigeria. Its purpose was to provide a regional perspective on national events and promote unity within the North. The paper was edited by Adamu Ciroma, who would later become Nigeria’s Minister of Finance.
The “Bold Plan for Beggars” story must be read against this background of regional self-definition. The Northern government, emerging from political chaos and inter-regional suspicion, sought to demonstrate administrative stability and compassion for its citizens. Welfare reform, though limited in scope, became a tool for political reassurance and moral governance.
At the time, the almajiri system—where children were sent to study Islamic education under clerics and often resorted to street begging—was widespread. The 1966 initiative may have been an early recognition of the system’s economic and humanitarian challenges.
Aftermath and Legacy
There is limited evidence that the 1966 rehabilitation plan was fully implemented due to Nigeria’s descent into civil war the following year. However, the initiative represented a pioneering welfare model that inspired later federal and state policies in Northern Nigeria. In the 1970s and 1980s, similar rehabilitation and vocational training programmes were revisited, showing continuity in policy thinking even if execution faltered.
The New Nigerian’s report stands today as both a window into early postcolonial governance and a reminder of how deeply entrenched social welfare issues were in Nigeria’s formative years. It also reflects the optimism of a region trying to balance religious tradition, humanitarian duty, and modern administrative reforms.
This 1966 New Nigerian front page captures a moment when the Northern Nigerian government sought to confront social inequality through structured reform. Despite the political turmoil of the post-coup era, the initiative demonstrated foresight in tackling street begging and aligning regional governance with social justice principles. Though its outcomes were disrupted by national conflict, the policy marked a defining step in the evolution of social welfare thinking in Nigeria.
References
- New Nigerian, Thursday, 18 August 1966 – Kaduna Archives, Nigerian National Press Collection.
- Dudley, B. J. (1973). Instability and Political Order: Politics and Crisis in Nigeria. Ibadan: Ibadan University Press.
- Mustapha, A. R. (2006). “Ethnic Structure, Inequality and Governance of the Public Sector in Nigeria.” United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD).