By: Dada Olaolu Daniel
It is a known fact that cities across the world are confronting with diverse and complex problems which have socio-economy and physical impact implications for city dwellers.
The 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 economics of the cities, the socio physical environment but also for beggars themselves.
The increasing population of beggars in Nigerian cities constitutes an eyesore or environmental nuisance and health hazards, particularly those carrying infectious and contagious
diseases.
Begging has serious implication for the city and national
economy as beggars are not economically productive in any way since they contribute nothing to the economy.
It leads not only to social relegation of the city but also to that of beggars as well as stigmatization. Beggars constitute a social threat to the Nigerian society especially in the cities.
They portray a bad image to outsiders or strangers. Some criminal hid under the guise of beggars to perpetuate their evil deeds.
They are at times used as instruments by mischiefs makers, who use them to vandalize public properties and utilities built with nation’s resources.
The nefarious activities of those fake beggars such as criminals, area boys and thugs constitute one of the sources of civil unrest to the city dwellers.
Begging also constitutes economic threat to the society as
beggars are not economically productive in any way since they contribute nothing to national economy.
The city and national economy is restarted as considerable
proportion of beggar’s population.
Another set of beggars are the
perpetual sick ones, these ones always suffer from diseases, like
cancerous growths on visible part of their bodies, which they wear
like a badge of honour.
At most strategic roads, many with some form of disease are
carries and put at the Centre of the road with men and women with
bows in their hands soliciting for help.
They are controlled by
godfathers who are entitled to a cut of their money in return for
protection.
Most worrisome is the fact that public service in Nigeria is being
debased on daily basis.
Today each office you go into either at the Federal, State or Local Government Level, there are Nigerians who
indulge in one form of begging and the other.
It is fast becoming an embarrassment across the country when on approaching a supposed
security officer, he politely ask what have for the boys, or your boys
are here.
At nation’s gate way, either at the airport or sea ports many of
the immigration officer hold onto traveler’s passport asking for a gift
before checking them out.
Every office you enter in the country today, someone somewhere
will expect you to perform before you leave as if you fail to, they will
bodly ask “Ogah what do you have for the boys”? .
They do not care about the image of the country not to talk of their own.
While an average person thinks in terms of dignity and the joy that comes from creating something which has the potential to change some one’s life, professional beggars think in term of Naira and kobo.
Can the Nigerian nation continue like this?
By: Dada Olaolu Daniel
Mattric No: 22 D/ 7HMC/195
