Social sanity: Changing the narratives of quick-to-begging syndrome
As economic narratives continue to wax gross in the Country, several deficient social decadence have been sprouting forth as effects of the wobbling realities.
Among many others, street begging is growing to become one trend of deficient social character in the Nigerian societal configuration. The gradual enlargement of the trend has grown to assume a somewhat menacing dimension. To some, the menace constitutes nuisance to what the configuration of coordinated cohabitation should take in the society. The increasing profile of beggars littering the metropoleis of several states across the Country apparently informs the perspective of those who subscribe to the perception of the trend as a regurgitation. A close inference to linking the phenomenon to the wobbling profile of the economy in the Country gives a near conclusion to the rationale many have pointed to as the ground pushing many to resorting to the streets to beg.
It is observable that most recently the increasing dimension which street begging is assuming is taking a disturbing turn. Threats identified to the subject are themselves offshoots of the expansive profile of the trend. Reports have been spreading of some who are known to be posing as beggars in some metropoleis to merchandise evil machinations. Another ill offshoot is the subject of those who have formed cartels of using the means as a profit venture. There are some who are known to have turned to the enterprise of recruiting minors, disadvantaged, and physically handicapped persons to beg. Hence, the incursion of mischievous persons exploiting street begging as profit making venture has seen such mischief as hiring persons, adopting infants and other forms of disadvantaged persons to the mischievous craft for money making. The subject of ritualist using the means to perpetrate their dastardly act is another subject which in recent times have been deterring people from beggars. The suspicion has been preventing and limiting alms to genuine indigent persons in recent times. The threat has continued to raise wary disposition of many to goodwill, as many good intentioned Nigerians are taking extra caution not to fall into the trap of mischief.
However, while street begging in the South has begun to assume expansive dimension, it is known that the practice has been a long practised phenomenon in the Northern part of the Country. The phenomenon of subjecting children to street begging under a system which is tagged the “Al-majiri” phenomenon has been one deep rooted practice in the North. The phenomenon is such where minor males left at Islamic schools are made to scavenge for livelihood by begging during the day. Under such conditions, the children are deprived of western education and reduced to growing with begging orientation.
The identified threats the practice is known to be constituting to appreciable coexistence and societal development, have led informed efforts by some State authorities in the region to come up with directives and laws to stem the tide of the phenomenon. Recently, the Kastina State Government through an executive bill seeking the prohibition of street begging in Katsina, made moves towards a change of narratives by legal instruments. The bill which was first read before the State’s assembly on June 30 by the Majority Leader, Alhaji Abubakar Abukur, seeks to complement the ongoing efforts by the State government at repatriating Almajiris to their home states as well as sanitising the Tsangaya system of education. According to the majority leader, the bill will help in addressing the menace of street begging. He had emphasized that most of the children roaming the streets grew up to become threats to national security. The lawmaker had stated that by the force law, its provisions would provide a four-year sentence for defaulters or an option of an N10,000 fine, while anyone found guilty for the second time would be taken to his/her country, state or local government of origin.
While the phenomenon is known to be deep seated in the North, it is gradually extending its tentacles to other parts of the Country in the South. As economic situations wane in the Country, it is observable that turning to street begging is assuming an expansive dimension in the region. The threats the phenomenon poses to deepening the profile of poor human capacity in the Country is troubling. This is necessarily perceivable in the possibilities of the entrenchment of the orientation of quick rescinding and descension into begging, rather than overcoming challenges through productive ventures towards personal and collective benefits.
The channelling of children into the act of street begging is one branch of the phenomenon that poses grave threats to the society, when children who are meant to be studying in school are reduced to begging and deprived of meaningful education. The degrading orientation that grows with children exposed to begging from childhood is such that in large extent wouldn’t be profitable in the long run to the Society.
Recently, as beggars continue to litter its metropolis, the Lagos State Government through its Ministry of Youth and Social Development had constituted a special team to launch enforcement operations aimed at sweeping beggars off the streets of the State’s metropolis. The task force which commenced operation last month had the mandate to beyond enforcement operation to sanitise the metropolis, extend its scope of operation to also restoring the dignity of vulnerable persons sent onto the streets for alms begging and hawking. The State Government commenced the exercise tagged “Rescue Operation” by a special team of the Rescue and Rehabilitation Department of it’s Ministry of Youth and Social Development in collaboration with the police, Man O War and other volunteers.
In August, the State’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Olusegun Dawodu during a press conference at Ikeja, the State Capital, had said “beggars on our streets and roads constitute considerable nuisance to law abiding citizens who are entitled to go about their businesses without any fear or hindrance.” According to him, “street begging” constitutes a man-made obstacle to achieving the desired destination of “A Greater Lagos” vision of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led Administration. He had mentioned that “as a responsible and responsive government” the administration will not fold its arms watching “the State become a haven for beggars.”
“Street begging is a social vice that we cannot afford to watch attain uncontrollable level before we act. Otherwise, all the good plans and programmes to transform our state would be adversely affected. The same goes for Street Hawking,” he had said. The Commissioner who said the menace “has become Big Business to some groups of people,” had disclosed that investigation revealed that beggars and hawkers (children and adults) were transported regularly from other parts of the country to Lagos.
“These groups of people have turned alms begging and hawking into a huge business by collecting returns from beggars and hawkers, who incidentally, sleep under the bridges, motor parks, uncompleted or abandoned buildings and other places not conducive for human habitation,” he had said.
Dawodu who mentioned that their activities on the streets impede human movement and vehicular traffic, environmental nuisance and worst still, security threats, had said “intelligence reports have revealed that some of the so-called beggars go about with dangerous weapons, they assault and rob innocent Lagosians.”
“Therefore, as a Government, we cannot afford to let this continue. If there is ever a time for us to roll up our sleeves and toil day and night for this menace to be confined to the dustbin of history in Lagos State, it is now,” he said.
Speaking on the strategies of the team, he said “to tackle this menace, the Lagos State Government through the Rehabilitation and Child Development Departments of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development has maintained a Rescue Unit saddled with the responsibility of rescuing and protecting the destitute and the vulnerable. This we do by combing the nooks and crannies of Lagos State to rescue and protect the destitute, mentally-challenged, street children and beggars off the streets; and after being rescued, our Rehabilitation Centres and Child friendly Homes usually provide them with treatment, psychosocial therapy and vocational training with the aim of making them useful to themselves and the society.” He had mentioned that in embarking on the enforcement, the State Government “will also deploy a lot of human and material resources towards enlightenment and sensitization.”
It is important for the government from all levels across the Federation to rise to the task of crafting institutional controls against the expanding wings of street begging with the various offshoots sprouting from same. The necessity to raise advocacy against the menace is essential to deter people from descending so quickly to give in to street begging. It is paramount for the Government to strengthen efforts on rehabilitation measures where indigent beggars can be admitted for rehabilitation and empowerment. This is important to convert them through human development process to the height of appreciable capacity where rather than constituting liabilities and threats to the society, they become productive individuals. More importantly, it is pertinent for the Government to exert more concerted efforts into strategies of revamping the economy to change the prevailing narrative of the wobbling state of records which have continued to reduce more people to resort into begging. The Lagos State example is a good clue to such move. However, there appears to be more to be than done than have been experienced. It is pertinent for government at all levels to intensify efforts towards human capacity development programmes to change the prevailing narratives of quick-to-begging syndrome saturating the social sphere of the Country.
