To some givers, beggars are humans and deserve kindness, care and support. But others think the other way round. Begging is simply a way of life, a lucrative business culture that shortcuts the hardship of the present times and exploits the rich of their excesses.
Not surprising, the numbers of beggars in cities and towns in Nigeria are on the increase. From Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu to Kano, the figures are alarming, the situation is unbecoming. There are, of course, factors that drive up the figures, namely the rural- urban pull that throws up unskilled and unemployable persons to urban centres; the religious factor that urges givers to be their brother’s keeper; the saying that givers never lack; the prevailing economic hardship and the zero economic window for disabled persons in Nigeria.
Kaduna State is swelling up with beggars of many kinds: The physically challenged, the elderly and the young boys called Almajirs. In most corners and bus stops in the state capital, Kaduna, the beggars creep up from nowhere, parading one condition or the other in search of help.
That is not all. There are new trends. The beggars are scaling up their act by the day. They now form associations and engage the members of the political class before, during and after elections and extract fortunes out of their desperation for votes. They use these to better their lives, resulting that some of them have fleet of commercial vehicles and houses that give them good returns.
The new boom is attractive and alluring. Well dressed able-bodied, male and female, young and old, seize the junctions and bus stops to ask for alms. They claim to be students or pretend they want to buy some drugs or that they are strangers in the city who cannot immediately find their hosts. What about those who seize the banks and lay siege at ATMs for people to collect money?
Some drive or are driven on wheelchairs, looking patently disabled. While some of these cases are real, a lot of them don’t add up. Ibrahim Ahmed said: “In some cases, someone buys the wheelchair, go to a village and fetch a disable person preferably women, fetch another person to push the wheelchair. At the end of the day, whatever proceeds they make will be shared on agreed sharing formula.”
A development communicator, Dr Binta Kasim, said: “Have you ever seen some of them, especially the Almajiri buying food even when they use hunger as basis for begging? If you want to know how smart they are, give them like N500 and demand for change. You will be shocked the amount of money they move about with.
“Sometimes, when you give them new clothes, they go and hide it until when they will go back home. They prefer wearing torn clothes to attract sympathy.”
National President, Nigerian Association of People with Physical Disability (NAPPD), Rilwan Munammed Abdullahi, lamented that begging has been hijacked by businessmen and women who are not living with any form of disability:
“From the onset, when you say or hear begging, what readily comes to mind are people with real disability and less privileged people. But these days, everybody seems to be begging in one form or another, including the executive beggars who go from one office to another to beg for money without regard for their self-esteem
“Funny enough, you sometimes meet the same person somewhere else saying the same thing. This is the level we are now and that is not even making people help those that really need help again.”
Chairman, Joint National Association of People with Disability (JNAPD), Suleiman Jonah, said: «The truth is that, we are as worried as other sincere stakeholders. We are not supporting begging in Kaduna State. We are also not opposing the law banning begging.
“We are only saying there should be some laws that should restrain the public from stigmatising beggars, like a law that would stop this culture of denial to have access to public facilities, stigmatisation in terms of social life and employment and so on.”
To Nneka Agwuegbo, a staff of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), and a disability right advocate, there is no dignity in begging: “I learnt some of our people with disability have made money and don’t see reason to leave the culture of begging. Well, I am yet to ascertain that and why. On our part, that is why we are sensitising them and creating awareness on the need for them to learn a craft, a skill or to acquire education.
“Now, by the time the Kaduna State Disability Bill is passed into law, which we are aware is currently undergoing a review at the Ministry of Justice, it will go a long way in addressing the factors that encourage begging. By the time it is passed into law and implemented, you will not see anyone begging based on one form of disability or the other on our streets.’’
Read Also: Otedola Donates ₦100m To Lagos STF
Commissioner for Social Development and Human Services, Hajiya Hafsat Baba: “Kaduna State has a law in place and we have formed a committee that will go after these people. We want to make sure we implement these laws because the state has prohibited hawking and begging.
“This ministry has a very big mandate and we are looking at all issues. At the same time, we are also making provision for people with disability to have additional rehabilitation centres, where they can acquire training and skills. Majority of them begging have made it a habit. They have already made enough money to establish their businesses. It has become also a habit and that is what we are trying to discourage.
“Begging should not be a habit. Begging should not be a trade. Begging should not be a business. There is no religion that endorses begging. Quote me anywhere. Absolutely, there is none. I have been to Saudi Arabia. I have never seen Arabs begging.
“We have rehabilitation centres to serve as alternative for those who want to learn skills. We are developing education too. People must go to school. There is provision for blind people. They have special school.
“We also have a special school for the crippled. Before, we had only Kakuri and Kafanchan rehabilitation centres. Now we have added three more rehabilitation centres in Soba, Jaba and Birni Gwari local councils.”
THE GUARDIAN
