The beggars' opera in Lagos

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IT is difficult to believe the statement allegedly made by the Special Adviser on Youth, Sports and Social Development, Dolapo Badru, to the effect that there is a law in Lagos state which makes the giving of alms to beggars anywhere in the state, an offence punishable by two years imprisonment without an option of fine.

He said: "Lagos state frowns on giving alms to beggars. It is punishable under the law and you can get up to two years imprisonment for giving money to beggars. We have places where such money can be put to good use. The government is committed to best practices in social care." The places under reference we are told are "churches, mosques, registered orphanages, motherless babies homes or social welfare institutions." The law and the determination to enforce it, is obviously an expression of government's frustration with the growing population of beggars in Lagos.

In the past few years, successive administrations in the state have adopted a number of measures to check the menace of beggars including the establishment of rehabilitation and vocational centres (to provide shelter and skills acquisition opportunities for the destitute), the deportation of beggars from other states of Nigeria to their states of origin, and the demonisation of begging as a way of life. But none of these measures has worked. Lagos is perhaps the only state and city in Nigeria whose population increases on a daily basis in an exponential manner. There is hardly any Nigerian that does not have a relation, close or distant in Lagos, and there is arguably no community in Nigeria that does not have some of its people in parts of Lagos including beggars!

Beggars flock to the city every day, and like others, they have no intention of leaving. Even when they are arrested by the state authorities and shipped back to their states of origin, they still manage to return. Lagos in the popular imagination is the Nigerian city where anyone and everyone can make a quick buck. Since 2007, the Fashola administration has embarked on a robust urban renewal programme. Lagos is now a much cleaner city, with its parks and gardens and with tax payers' money being put to work in many ways. The position of the Lagos state government it seems is that beggars constitute a nuisance, many of them are part-time criminals, and if they would not relocate to vocational centres, they might as well face the wrath of the state government. Having failed to convince or intimidate them, however, the state authorities are now warning all persons to desist from giving them alms. I really do not see how the Lagos state government can win that battle. In the past year, the state reportedly "deported" over 3, 000 beggars from Lagos. NEXT Newspaper reports that out of these, Sokoto State had the highest number of 196 beggars, Oyo State (83), Kano (75), Osun (67), Ekiti (21), Ondo (7), and from other countries- Niger (12), Chad (2) and Cote d'Ivoire (1). The state government should redirect its energies to more purposeful engagements.

There are too many contradictions in its chosen path. One, it makes no sense to "deport" a Nigerian from any part of Nigeria to another, whether that person is destitute, able or not. The Constitution guarantees the freedom of movement, and that right extends to beggars. Yes, beggars wander from one location to another, transporting their nuisance across the city, but wandering is not an offence. The law prescribing a two-year jail term for alms-givers, if indeed it exists, is ludicrous. In a country where those who burn down houses, kill in the name of religion, Molestation women, kidnap children, and sabotage the state are walking free, in a society where those who loot the treasury collect national honours and chieftaincy titles, it is those who give alms to the poor that we seek to send to jail for two years without an option of fine? That law will be difficult to enforce. How do you identify a beggar? Do beggars wear uniforms, or do they carry identification badges? The Lagos state authorities should avoid the kind of human rights crisis that occurred when a directive was issued that indecently dressed women should be arrested: many housewives, accused of exposing too much flesh ended up in police cells, resulting in public outrage. With regard to beggars and the destitute, the enforcement agents could end up arresting and molesting physically challenged persons who are already badly treated by the Nigerian state, and that will be most unfair, for it is not every physically challenged person that is a beggar.

And can a man be punished for spending his hard-earned money the way he likes? I earnestly await the day when anyone in Lagos will be sent to jail for giving alms to beggars! To give teeth to the law could cause a social uproar for it runs contrary to the people's religious and cultural beliefs. The Lagos state Government could be accused of an assault on the people's faith and belief systems. The two major religions Christianity and Islam encourage their adherents to give alms, to help the poor and the needy in society. This is a sacred obligation in both religions, and that is why the most popular haunts for beggars are places of religious worship. So established is the culture of begging, that in Lagos, there are at least two major beggars' colonies: one in Ebute Meta/Oyingbo, the other in Agege.

But the bigger issue is how the explosion in the population of beggars in Lagos and elsewhere in the country, is a function of the economic dispossession in the land and the high rate of unemployment. In Nigeria, beggary has become a way of life. It is one of the easiest occupations in the land. In part because of the religious belief that beggars should be assisted, it has become one of such occupations where investment is low and return is high. Often on Lagos streets and elsewhere you are likely to run into able-bodied men and women, neatly dressed, soliciting for alms as the traffic crawls. Then you have the so-called "corporate beggars": he or she tells you he just lost his purse, his English is impeccable, he is a University or college graduate, he is so persuasive, he wants you to assist him with "a widow's mite" and he asks God to bless you abundantly. He may even entertain you with an informed commentary on the state of the nation, with stinging criticisms of the Nigerian dilemma.

Out of pity, you'd be tempted to part with some money. A few days later, you may run into the same fellow again. He knows you. This time, he would change the story and even struggle to give you a copy of his resume: if you could help him get a job. Confused, you give him some money just to get him off your back. Or is it the woman with twins or a baby, her flattened bosoms hanging loose, bearing all the worldly scars of deprivation and the wickedness of men, running after your car and begging you to help her child or the "ibejis" – you give her money and go to jail for two years? Or it could be the physically challenged, blind like a bat, lame like a possum, assisted by a younger man, who should be in school, the two of them joined together by a long stick, navigating crazy Lagos traffic, and there you are in your air-conditioned car, wondering why this world is so unfair to some people, and then you take a N50 note, moved by the entertaining prayers being showered on you and your future descendants, and you go to jail for that, for being human?

The Lagos State government should leave the beggars alone. Lunatics are also being chased off the streets. Why are they on the streets in the first place? This is the question to ask. When beggars are taken to vocational centres, they run away because it is more profitable to be on the streets. They have no faith in the Nigerian system. They know that they could be treated as if they were prisoners. They know that government officials could turn the maintenance of the centres into a source of livelihood, and an opportunity for looting state resources. What Nigeria needs is to address the distortions within the system. Beggars may never disappear completely from our streets, but if the factories can begin to function again, if the government can check the misfortune of de-industrialisation, if those trucks which used to ferry workers to and fro in the 70s and 80s can return to our streets and the warehouses that have been turned into churches can become warehouses again, the population of beggars should reduce. Nigerians love to work. But when there are no jobs, they become desperate, and constitute themselves into colonies and families of beggars.

The Lagos State government is targeting the beggars on the streets: has anyone considered the army of beggars that exists in every extended family? If you have a job in Nigeria, that job does not provide for you and your nuclear family alone, it compulsorily takes care of beggars within the extended family who monitor your movement and the salary payment season; often they lay ambush by your door, sometimes as early as 5 am, or very late in the night, with the plan to sleep overnight: eat, disturb your peace and still collect your money. Like the beggars on the streets, these family ones are also very good at praying. By the time they finish telling you all the wonders God has decided to do in your life, you will be tempted to take a loan to help them sort out their long list of problems!

Nigeria needs a strong social security system that provides for the poor, the weak, the needy and the aged. Nigeria needs a functional healthcare insurance system that can take care of the army of the poor, who go onto the streets with distended scrotums, blood-soaked bosoms, broken and rotten legs, smelly injuries, soliciting for alms and pushing their wounds in the faces of decent people. Nigerian beggars are the children of a system that has gone awry and is in need of urgent repairs. When next I see a beggar, I will give alms as a good Christian. A two-year jail term? What kind of vexatious law is that?

Reuben Abati Writes

Muheehhee
I thought every Yoruba is a Lagosian
I beg una, how many of una Yoruba cyber warriors are from Lagos?

What would Awo be thinking were he to know that Yorubas are now being deported from Yorubaland?

how can a yoruba be deported from yorubaland?

the article says lagos deported people back to ekiti oyo etc- which is still in yorubaland.

ur title doesnt make sense

https://www.nairaland.com/850160/aworis-asking-all-yorubas-move

[b]Aworis Asking All Yorubas To Move To Their States [/b]by macjive01: 10:00pm On Jan 19
Just got a confirmation that the Aworis Youth Mandate under the able leadership of Adekunle bola has asked that all yoruba of non- aworis extraction leeching on their development and resources should start preparing to vacant the state.

he explained that yorubas come to lagos to feast on their resources, contributing absolutely nothing in return.

"an Ekiti from his jungle village will come to Lagos to drag jobs like security and vigilante with locals, so it time to tell them all who are the real owners of Lagos. "

once the permission is sanction there will be a exodus, so it is better they start packing before the time reaches. as the say " a stitch in time saves nine."

This is 21st century, NO TIME FOR PARASITISM !

even the abokis are contributing more than these yorubas, Awori people shall not stand and watch her resources pillaged and ravaged by these ingrates and rascals.

he went on to explain that most crimes in the state are perpetuated by neighboring states especially Ogun people and ijebus.

mekuslogan: https://www.nairaland.com/850160/aworis-asking-all-yorubas-move

[b]Aworis Asking All Yorubas To Move To Their States [/b]by macjive01: 10:00pm On Jan 19
Just got a confirmation that the Aworis Youth Mandate under the able leadership of Adekunle bola has asked that all yoruba of non- aworis extraction leeching on their development and resources should start preparing to vacant the state.

he explained that yorubas come to lagos to feast on their resources, contributing absolutely nothing in return.

"an Ekiti from his jungle village will come to Lagos to drag jobs like security and vigilante with locals, so it time to tell them all who are the real owners of Lagos. "

once the permission is sanction there will be a exodus, so it is better they start packing before the time reaches. as the say " a stitch in time saves nine."

This is 21st century, NO TIME FOR PARASITISM !

even the abokis are contributing more than these yorubas, Awori people shall not stand and watch her resources pillaged and ravaged by these ingrates and rascals.

he went on to explain that most crimes in the state are perpetuated by neighboring states especially Ogun people and ijebus.

damm you beat me to it , this is serious

sbeezy8: how can a yoruba be deported from yorubaland?

the article says lagos deported people back to ekiti oyo etc- which is still in yorubaland.

ur title doesnt make sense

Answer the question - why are Yoruba deported from their places of abode in Yorubaland by a Yoruba?

sbeezy8: how can a yoruba be deported from yorubaland?

the article says lagos deported people back to ekiti oyo etc- which is still in yorubaland.

ur title doesnt make sense

but why should a yorubaman be deported from lagos to start with ? infact why should anybody be deported from lagos? what if the niger delta comes out today to say no more oil money for the non oil producing states what will those other states including lagos do as we know non of those states can fend for all its inhabitants even with the oil money flowing

mekuslogan:

Answer the question - why are Yoruba deported from their places of abode in Yorubaland by a Yoruba?

To serve as a notice of impending mass deportation of ibos to the east?

Aigbofa:

To serve as a notice of impending mass deportation of ibos to the east?

So you can sacrifice fellow Yoruba in order to deport Igbos? Hahahah! I go die oh!

mekuslogan:

Answer the question - why are Yoruba deported from their places of abode in Yorubaland by a Yoruba?

why should i answer a question i have no control over- ekiti oyo govts are not complaining why should i?

bashr8: but why should a yorubaman be deported from lagos to start with ? infact why should anybody be deported from lagos? what if the niger delta comes out today to say no more oil money for the non oil producing states what will those other states including lagos do as we know non of those states can fend for all its inhabitants even with the oil money flowing

lol- niger delta cant come out and say that federal government will- even at that senate house of reps and co will. lmfao-

wetin concern me? ur saying if as if i benefit from oil money lmfao.

In response to OP,

If you follow the reports you will notice that Lagos acted with humility and kindness towards its homeless and stranded kins. They were taken back to their various and individual home states and placed with relatives ....this is how you rehabilitate victims of circumstance.

In the Ibo case, all of them regardless of home states were banded into buses and deported back across the Niger and to the borderline where igboland begins. They dumped them there and let them sort themselves out. This is how you treat nuisanc that are irredeemabl.....vagabonds and theieves and kidnappers looking for get rich quick schemes to own home in lekki.

mekuslogan:

So you can sacrifice fellow Yoruba in order to deport Igbos? Hahahah! I go die oh!

Sacrifice? Absolutely not, they can all come back as soon as the ibos are sent back on the new fast trains being proposed.

Dudu_Negro: In response to OP,

If you follow the reports you will notice that Lagos acted with humility and kindness towards its homeless and stranded kins. They were taken back to their various and individual home states and placed with relatives ....this is how you rehabilitate victims of circumstance.

In the Ibo case, all of them regardless of home states were banded into buses and deported back across the Niger and to the borderline where igboland begins. They dumped them there and let them sort themselves out. This is how you treat nuisanc that are irredeemabl.....vagabonds and theieves and kidnappers looking for get rich quick schemes to own home in lekki.

Cut the crap.If you are not Lagosian, which am sure you are not, you stand the same chance to be deported from Lagos as an hausa or Igbo or Ijaw man. Heheheh. Refugee in your own ancestral land.

mekuslogan:

Cut the crap.If you are not Lagosian, which am sure you are not, you stand the same chance to be deported from Lagos as an hausa or Igbo or Ijaw man. Heheheh. Refugee in your own ancestral land.

That is not true. There's something called omoluabi, a concept alien to many ibos. If you are a Yoruba omoluabi, you should be welcomed to live peacefully anywhere in Yorubaland.

Aigbofa:

That is not true. There's something called omoluabi, a concept alien to many ibos. If you are a Yoruba omoluabi, you should be welcomed to live peacefully anywhere in Yorubaland.

Are you mad. Did you not read the article that you are responding to?

In the past year, the state reportedly "deported" over 3, 000 beggars from Lagos. NEXT Newspaper reports that out of these, Sokoto State had the highest number of 196 beggars, Oyo State (83), Kano (75), Osun (67), Ekiti (21), Ondo (7), and from other countries- Niger (12), Chad (2) and Cote d'Ivoire (1). The state government should redirect its energies to more purposeful engagements.

mekuslogan:

Are you mad. Did you not read the article that you are responding to?

You don't understand. If an Ekiti man can be sent back to Ekiti from Lagos, who is omo Nna to complain when his is sent packing?

Yawn !!!

Aigbofa:

You don't understand. If an Ekiti man can be sent back to Ekiti from Lagos, who is omo Nna to complain when his is sent packing?

So then a Yoruba from Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun stands the same chance of being deported from LAGOS as a non-Yoruba. What is Omoluabi in that?

I know you are from Ekiti. You have no guaranteed stay in Lagos.

MekussUnhinged.
Do you want me to spell everything out for you?

Aigbofa: MekussUnhinged.
Do you want me to spell everything out for you?

Please spell it out. I dey wait.

mekuslogan:

So then a Yoruba from Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Ogun stands the same chance of being deported from LAGOS as a non-Yoruba. What is Omoluabi in that?

I know you are from Ekiti. You have no guaranteed stay in Lagos.

You will not understand until you find your a.rse back in Owerri and you cannot complain because I will point it to you that Yorubas were also deported.
Do you get it now?

mekuslogan:

Are you mad. Did you not read the article that you are responding to?

If you add the numbrrs enumerated and with dispositions back to their individual states you will realize that many thousands are missing in the over 3000 total. The residual are the dumped lots returned to East. You are hearing about thise thousands refugees because Obi is making noise that they were dumped in his state. If thy had been dumped in Im you probably will not know unless Okorocha holler about it.

Dudu_Negro:

If you add the numbrrs enumerated and with dispositions back to their individual states you will realize that many thousands are missing in the over 3000 total. The residual are the dumped lots returned to East. You are hearing about thise thousands refugees because Obi is making noise that they were dumped in his state. If thy had been dumped in Im you probably will not know unless Okorocha holler about it.

Hey dude. It does not matter how many Igbos are deported from Lagos because Lagos is not Igboland. It matters that Yorubas are deported from Lagos (Yorubaland). True or false

Dudu_Negro:

If you add the numbrrs enumerated and with dispositions back to their individual states you will realize that many thousands are missing in the over 3000 total. The residual are the dumped lots returned to East. You are hearing about thise thousands refugees because Obi is making noise that they were dumped in his state. If thy had been dumped in Im you probably will not know unless Okorocha holler about it.

The article will have to provide the full state-by state list. Ogun is still unaccounted for.Hhahahahah!!!

mekuslogan:

Hey dude. It does not matter how many Igbos are deported from Lagos because Lagos is not Igboland. It matters that Yorubas are deported from Lagos (Yorubaland). True or false

The idea is to send back a few Yorubas here and there in preparaton for the eventual clean sweep of ibos across Yorubaland.

Viewing this topic: Crayola1

Don't worry, I will beg Fashola to give you a waiver. He is a good man.

Aigbofa:

The idea is to send back a few Yorubas here and there in preparaton for the eventual clean sweep of ibos across Yorubaland.

You are laughable.You call more than 100 Yorubas ''a few'' sent packing from their fatherland?
Why must you send even a single Yoruba out of his Yorubaland residence in order to send an Igbo man out of Yorubaland?

mekuslogan:

You are laughable.You call more than 100 Yorubas ''a few'' sent packing from their fatherland?
Why must you send even a single Yoruba out of his Yorubaland residence in order to send an Igbo man out of Yorubaland?

Do you know how many million ibos we can use that to justify their deportation?

Aigbofa: Viewing this topic: Crayola1

Don't worry, I will beg Fashola to give you a waiver. He is a good man.

No thanks
I received a better offer somewhere else

Crayola1:

No thanks
I received a better offer somewhere else

Oh common, don't be like that.