It is a known fact that cities across the world are confronted with diverse and complex problems which have socio-economic and physical implications for city dwellers. These problems as experienced by cities of less developed countries, are enormous and multidimensional in nature.
One obvious manifestation of these problems, especially in Nigeria, is begging, that is the act of asking people for money, food, clothes. The problem of begging is a social menace which has a negative implication not only for economies of the cities, socio- physical environment but also for beggars themselves.
Begging is a complex social problem with no quick fix. It is universal. Even some of the advanced nations in the world including the United States of America and the United Kingdom have beggars in one form or the other. It is therefore important to understand why people turn to begging. It only by understands the problem that a workable solution may be found to either minimize the problem or at least contain it.
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| A woman using her twins kids to beg for money |
Nigerians are noted for their hospitality and the elders say that the “stranger does not need to sleep on the street”. The community always took care of its poor, to a degree that had no parallel in any other society. The proverbial Nigerian hospitality was alive. We took care of the poor, the unemployed, children and those disadvantaged in society. We shared meals, provided shelter and helped in various other ways. This generosity used to pervade the society; we were all each other’s keeper. However, a continuously high level of unemployment, high cost of living, and an economy that has double-digit inflation, coupled with a society that has lost it traditional values, have combined to undermine the overall economic and political context and weakened those structures that helped to care for the needy. We hide our food from others and there is a tendency in the Nigerian society of today to respect people who have money, people who have wealth. If you are not wealthy you have very little respect. Thus people with a disability and children are generally in the lower strata of the society. They are not valued and have very little self-esteem.
What is worrying is the number of able-bodied beggars in the streets. Among this group of able-bodied beggars are the vocational or professional beggars who believe that they will earn more begging than they would in a regular job. They have made begging into an art form. They have very well made stories, some written on placards, which make it difficult for you to resist making a donation. Some of these able-bodied persons could be seen leading the blind, pushing the lame in wheelchairs or using children to beg. There are few in this group who are driven to this activity mainly because there are no jobs.
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| Group of beggers |
A walk through the Broad streets of Lagos will seem to suggest that the overwhelming majority of people involved in begging are people with a disability and children. In view of this, I am of the opinion that if we can improve the lot of people with disabilities and children we would have taken a step along the way to reducing the incidence of the problem. It is therefore important to turn attention to why people with disabilities and children form the bulk of beggars in Lagos.
They do not care about the image of the country not to talk of their own. Usually, caution is thrown to the wind. Sadly enough, those in authority do not care nor take notice of this development. At most road junctions across the country where you have policemen as well as other agencies on duty, some are more interested in begging.
‘Corporate Beggars’ are actually more of pickpockets and conmen than beggars. The most unfortunate of this category of beggars are those who pose as ministers of the Gospel to beg. They tell you tales of how they are going for a church programme but have no money to go.
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One notorious one in Festac/Satellite goes around with his wife and baby begging motorists for money, flashing fake pastoral identity card. While an average person thinks in terms of dignity and the joy that comes from creating something which has the potential to change someone else’s life, professional beggars think in terms of Naira and Kobo. Can the Nigerian nation continue like this?
Begging does not fundamentally arise out of the urban space, and hence cannot be resolved within its confines alone. It is important to attempt to understand the main causes of the problem and then and only then can appropriate strategies be developed to address the problem. The “one size fit all” approach will not work. The real solution, perhaps, is to recognize and address the structural and physical issues in society, expand livelihood options in the national economy, reduce unemployment and put in place programs and strategies to improve the lot of people with a disability bearing in mind.
Another key challenge is the attitudinal change. This can only be done through education. The churches and civil society have a role to play in this exercise. The government should also pay more attention to the problems and interests of people with a disability and put in place well resourced rehabilitation programs. This could be done in partnership with various communities and the peak body for people with a disability.
We should also take steps to reduce the number of motor traffic accidents as these have caused many people to become disabled. Too many lives are lost on Nigerian roads in a year. In the Australian Capital Territory a total death toll of 15 on the road in a year will result in alarm bells ringing.We should also not forget those beggars who are mentally unstable and have either escaped or being discharged from mental institutions. The whole area of mental health needs urgent attention.
