Yoruba Cities Littered with Homeless Beggars, all Children and Women
Daily Independent, Hakeem Jamiu

Assume that the Yoruba culture is good and progressive. Assume that the Yoruba elders are wise and peace-loving. Assume that the Yoruba people are the most educated in Africa and that they received the most useful education any other group can ever dream of. These are the assumptions and beliefs of every Yoruba man. Now, given that the same Yoruba people managed Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, I ask you: Are these assumptions consistent with the results of Yoruba eight years of leadership in Nigeria? In other words, what did the Yoruba culture, people, and elders produce for the Yoruba masses in their eight years of sound and fury as the most “civilized” tribe in the African continent? For these assumptions to be true and valid, Yoruba states and cities will reflect positive changes in positive directions concerning the lives and behaviors of the Yoruba citizens therein. States such as Osun, Oyo, Ogun, and Ekiti, and cities such as Ibadan, Lagos, and Ayetoro Ekiti, the collective center of Yoruba “civilization”, will show good signs of happy Yoruba men, women, and children living their lives according to the results of the eight years of Yoruba “wise” leadership in Nigeria. Clearly, these assumptions are absurd because Yoruba culture produces useless animals and educated idiots who understand nothing about health, education, law and order, road maintenance, and administration of elections and public services. If you are still in doubt, read about the present conditions in the city of Ibadan, occupied and managed by 100% Yoruba people.

There is a social malaise which is gradually creeping into the lexicon of Yorubaland and this is the ugly spectre of hungry children begging for food and alms at social events. Older women are equally not left out in this ugly but strange practice in Yorubaland. It is strange in Yorubaland because the concept of almajiri which simply means street urchin is common in the Northern part of the country. Yorubas use to refer derisively to anybody soliciting for arms in Yorubaland in the olden days as almajiri. The almajiri of the North are usually children between the age bracket of 7 and 20 in most cases. Almajiris are so desperate for food that any unsuspecting visitor to the Northern part of the country who goes to a restaurant to eat but mistakenly left his food to wash his hands is likely to lose such to waiting almajiris before he comes back for the food.

I first noticed this ugly trend at a ceremony I attended a few months ago at Ayetoro Ekiti. Elderly and middle aged able bodied women from Kwara, Osun and Oyo states invaded the burial ceremony uninvited and were embarrassing guests who refused to give them money. Also noticeable were children with their begging bowls who thronged the venue of the ceremony soliciting for left over food and alms. The children were a pitiable sight. Poverty was clearly written on their faces. I have attended many social functions after that and the same trend was noticeable. But I became worried a few days ago, when I attended the burial ceremony of a friend's father in Ilesha , Osun State . They came in various groups and employ different methods in soliciting for alms. There were the elderly women who were busy harassing guests in the name of praise singing and would not leave until you part with money, there were the men with their public address system which they use in praise singing but which is disturbance and yet, there were Yoruba children in the mould of almajiris with their begging bowls scrambling for left-over and at the same time soliciting for alms.

Fellow guests on my table at the event who were also journalists expressed their concern in unison about the growing trend of almajiri of various categories in Yorubaland. They all agreed that it has become a social problem. We started discussing and realised that the culture of begging in the mould of almajiris is alien to Yoruba culture. In those days before the advent of the British, the Yorubas are a proud people known for their hard work and industry. They practiced hoe agriculture and were well known as traders and for their crafts. Yoruba artists have produced masterpieces of woodcarving and bronze casting, some of which date from as early as the 13th century. Many of Nigeria 's best-known artists and writers are Yoruba. Other occupation of the Yorubas at that time were drumming and masquerading which would now be called showbiz. They engage in all the foregoing occupation but a Yoruba man or woman (able bodied) would not beg for alms as it is considered shameful and something akin to a curse. The Yorubas cherish their oriki (folklore) which is a poetic version of eulogizing the exploits of their progenitors which is an incentive for them to excel and even surpass their progenitors. The Yorubas have harsh words for lazy people. Such people are objects of ridicule and butt of jokes in the society. With this background, it is understandable why we became worried with the array of beggars at the Ilesha ceremony.

After leaving the party, I reflected on the scenario of the almajiris in Ilesha and I was able to draw a relationship between Political almajiris and social almajiris. I discovered that social almajiri had its root in the advent of the politics of do -or-die introduced into the political lexicon of Yorubaland by apostles of mainstream politics especially ex-President Obasanjo. The grand Patron of political almajiris who recently passed away was Chief Lamidi Adedibu. Many have argued that his dath has led to the profilration of almajiris in Yorubaland. This is because those he hitherto dole handouts to must look for other means of survival since he is no more. These political almajiris are ready to exchange their mothers for few coins. A new political class of men without integrity and anything goes was created and they became political almajiris who survive on crumbs from their masters. They would rig, kill, maim and do all sort of things to acquire political power. With the ascension of these men in power, good governance became a thing of the past. Our collective patrimony was squandered by these political almajiris. Nigeria has never been so blessed with petro dollar with oil selling for $156 dollars per barrel but Nigeria has never been so poor with a chunk of the population living below poverty line. So versions of the political almajiris are the social almajiris that now invade ceremonies in Yorubaland. With these children begging for alms, a ready made market for thuggery and other social vices is assured. The activities of the beggars are not limited to parties. At bus stops in our cities, it is a common sight to see women most of who are still in their mid thirties, who would strap a baby at their backs and approach men with stories of despair to solicit for alms. Many of them would end up in bed with such men. This is another brand of alamajiri and these are Yoruba women. A violent version of almajiri but which is gradually being tackled in Lagos is the 'Area Boys' syndrome. These are Yoruba street urchins who are semi- armed robbers.

The underlying factor in this new trend is failure of the Nigerian State on one part and the laziness on the part of these women. Most of them don't want to work, In those days, when everybody's occupation was farming you dare not beg. You must find something to do. But these days, our women and children are too lazy. It is either they steal or beg. In most cases a mother and child become almajiris at social events. So the question now is can a Yoruba man now refer derisively to a Hausa beggar as almajiri when we have many of them now in Yorubaland? The answer is no! This trend must be arrested before it goes out of hand. The almajiris in the North these days engage in novel forms of drug abuse like sniffing of gutter water to get intoxicated, sniffing of adhesives and other drugs so that they are ever ready to unleash terror on the rest of the society whenever they are called upon to do so by the political wing of almajiris. I strongly recommend that guests at public functions must stop encouraging almajiris by giving them money.

But can government which itself owns the political wing of almajiris arrest this trend? Time will tell.

Ahhhhhhh, I see what time it is. Time to hate on the Yorubas, abi?

I thot NL have gone beyond this tribal bashing?

The Poster is a Yoruba. Would have made a good debate. Only that we have too many insecure and tribalistic beings on nairaland to argue these issues on here.

Keep assuming. . . .

Kobojunkie:

The Poster is a Yoruba. Would have made a good debate. Only that we have too many insecure and tribalistic beings on nairaland to argue these issues on here.

Like seriously, it's becoming so bitter

lol,

comfort what are you waiting for?
give us your latest news

Did I not insinuate this few minutes ago?. Those that are responsible know themselves. They litter our streets with hoodlums in the name of allah.

Tell the Muslims to give up polygamy and maybe these hungry mouths will be able to catch some food

I am serious. I would love for us to intelligently debate/argue issues such as these, come up with possible solutions and work on finding ways we can, as Nigerians, help alleviate these problems. We just have way way too many insecure people on here who are just as mindless as the street thugs that litter that country and only spew hate and bitterness that it is hard to have intelligent debate on many of these issues on nairaland.

As soon as a topic comes on, the tribal labels and insults start flying. Gosh!!!

Tell the Muslims to give up polygamy and maybe these hungry mouths will be able to catch some food

Exactly but be careful on how you use the word "muslim" or you will enter nairaland jail.

Self criticism at times can be good for yourself.

na the yoruba bashing month. . . .Igbo is next. . . .then the hausa.
But shouldn't you all wait till next month, black history month?



Useless ppl

There is a social malaise which is gradually creeping into the lexicon of Yorubaland and this is the ugly spectre of hungry children begging for food and alms at social events. Older women are equally not left out in this ugly but strange practice in Yorubaland. It is strange in Yorubaland because the concept of almajiri which simply means street urchin is common in the Northern part of the country. Yorubas use to refer derisively to anybody soliciting for arms in Yorubaland in the olden days as almajiri. The almajiri of the North are usually children between the age bracket of 7 and 20 in most cases. Almajiris are so desperate for food that any unsuspecting visitor to the Northern part of the country who goes to a restaurant to eat but mistakenly left his food to wash his hands is likely to lose such to waiting almajiris before he comes back for the food.

I first noticed this ugly trend at a ceremony I attended a few months ago at Ayetoro Ekiti. Elderly and middle aged able bodied women from Kwara, Osun and Oyo states invaded the burial ceremony uninvited and were embarrassing guests who refused to give them money. Also noticeable were children with their begging bowls who thronged the venue of the ceremony soliciting for left over food and alms. The children were a pitiable sight. Poverty was clearly written on their faces. I have attended many social functions after that and the same trend was noticeable. But I became worried a few days ago, when I attended the burial ceremony of a friend's father in Ilesha , Osun State . They came in various groups and employ different methods in soliciting for alms. There were the elderly women who were busy harassing guests in the name of praise singing and would not leave until you part with money, there were the men with their public address system which they use in praise singing but which is disturbance and yet, there were Yoruba children in the mould of almajiris with their begging bowls scrambling for left-over and at the same time soliciting for alms.

Fellow guests on my table at the event who were also journalists expressed their concern in unison about the growing trend of almajiri of various categories in Yorubaland. They all agreed that it has become a social problem. We started discussing and realised that the culture of begging in the mould of almajiris is alien to Yoruba culture

.

This highlighted part says it all.
I can almost bet my bakassi that these folks are Muslims.
I'm not saying that there are non Muslim beggars but we all know that  mass beggars in almajirism is entrenched in In Islamic Nigeria.
Too bad the trend has headed south amongst their counterparts there.

Kobojunkie:



As soon as a topic comes on, the tribal labels and insults start flying. Gosh!!!

I am with U on that one.  

However, the title of the post was what threw me off in the first place. Then when I went thru the body of the article I saw where the author was heading to. But then the issue of almajiris is not an ethnic/tribal thing. We have almajiris all over the North. Why single out one tribe?

The underlying factor in this new trend is failure of the Nigerian State on one part and the laziness on the part of these women. Most of them don't want to work, In those days, when everybody's occupation was farming you dare not beg. You must find something to do. But these days, our women and children are too lazy. It is either they steal or beg. In most cases a mother and child become almajiris at social events. So the question now is can a Yoruba man now refer derisively to a Hausa beggar as almajiri when we have many of them now in Yorubaland? The answer is no! This trend must be arrested before it goes out of hand.

@ bold, I don't think so.

The almajiris in the North these days engage in novel forms of drug abuse like sniffing of gutter water to get intoxicated, sniffing of adhesives and other drugs so that they are ever ready to unleash terror on the rest of the society whenever they are called upon to do so by the political wing of almajiris. I strongly recommend that guests at public functions must stop encouraging almajiris by giving them money.

Refusing to give them money will not nip the problem from the bud, rather it will make them accept robbery more comfortably as a necessary source of livelihood.

The article tries to make some sense. The title is obviously flamebait.

The Article was not written by the poster and there is this misconception that all Almajiri’s are Hausas. That is not the case at all. There are Yoruba muslims who live as Almajiri's. Maybe the word YORUBA should not have been included in the Title for Nairaland sanity sake but I think the article makes sense and can be intelligently argued if only .

Jeebus! What is this. . . Hit on Yoruba Sunday?  

The Article was not written by the poster and there is this misconception that all Almajiri’s are Hausas. That is not the case at all. There are Yoruba muslims who live as those too.

Even though we are not as mature as hausas in the almajiri business, what do you think should be done to curtail this trend since it's more of a religious issue which can be very volatile?

Kobojunkie:

The Article was not written by the poster and there is this misconception that all Almajiri’s are Hausas. That is not the case at all. There are Yoruba muslims who live as those too.  

That we know very well. The concept of almajiri is an Islamic thing. Its on the back of that knowledge that I believe that the title of the post is inflammatory given the kinda environment we have on NL


I have always brought up the almajiri issue in the context of religious riots. They are the cannon fodder for these riots. I agree that something has to be done.

EarTHmama

U re obviously a bigot. Do u have an issue with Islam. Y not let the religion be.

Kobojunkie:

The Article was not written by the poster and there is this misconception that all Almajiri’s are Hausas. That is not the case at all. There are Yoruba muslims who live as those too.

They are Muslims.
When a man who can't buy a common loaf of "our lady's bread" decides to marry 4 women and have 20 children then discard them for another set of 4 women and more kids,why won't we have people like this gatecrashing and ruining peoples happy ocassions.
Can you imagine beggars with begging babiallah plates at your wedding or naming ceremony of a child?
I have never heard of such a thing .
Never!
This is the first time I ever heard of it.
Next to Hausas,Yorubas have the next concentration of Muslims in Nigeria and it must be the Muslims amongst them giving a whole tribe of very hardworking people this bad name.

**osisi:

They are Muslims.
When a man who can't buy a common loaf of "our lady's bread" decides to marry 4 women and have 20 children then discard them for another set of 4 women and more kids,why won't we have people like this gatecrashing and ruining peoples happy ocassions.[/b]Can you imagine beggars with begging babiallah plates at your wedding or naming ceremony of a child?
I have never heard of such a thing .
Never!
This is the first time I ever heard of it.
[b]Next to Hausas,Yorubas have the next concentration of Muslims in Nigeria and it must be the Muslims amongst them giving a whole tribe of very hardworking people this bad name.

Well, Almajiris are not all products of polygamous marriages. Some of the kids come from homes where the father is, say a Christian but mother being muslim turns to begging since the man is unable to provide adequately for his family. Some are divorced women looking seeking to feed themselves and their kids. Should we crucify these people because of issues with have with one religion or the other?

Uche2nna:

That we know very well. The concept of almajiri is an Islamic thing. Its on the back of that knowledge that I believe that the title of the post is inflammatory given the kinda environment we have on NL


I have always brought up the almajiri issue in the context of religious riots. They are the cannon fodder for these riots. I agree that something has to be done.

Only a couple of years ago, the almajiri population was nowhere close to where it is now. Sure, we can speak of it in religious context but I think the issue has crossed over to other areas at this time. I believe this problem is more than just a religious one.

Uche2nna:

That we know very well. The concept of almajiri is an Islamic thing. Its on the back of that knowledge that I believe that the title of the post is inflammatory given the kinda environment we have on NL


I have always brought up the almajiri issue in the context of religious riots. They are the cannon fodder for these riots. I agree that something has to be done.

Exactly.
Their leaders ought to do something about this perhaps they ought to start by insisting that these sperm donors pay child support to the mother of these kids  or be thrown in jail and  secondly education to the young girls on the dangers of polygamy.

Interesting stuff

Uche2nna:

That we know very well. The concept of almajiri is an Islamic thing. Its on the back of that knowledge that I believe that the title of the post is inflammatory given the kinda environment we have on NL


I have always brought up the almajiri issue in the context of religious riots. They are the cannon fodder for these riots. I agree that something has to be done.

Only a couple of years ago, the almajiri population was nowhere close to where it is now. Sure, we can speak of it in religious context but I think the issue has crossed over to other areas at this time. I believe this problem is more than just a religious one.

But these days, our women and children are too lazy. It is either they steal or beg.

I disagree with this statement. We have women and children  that populate the markets or hawk their goods.

Kobojunkie:

Sure, we can speak of it in religious context but I think the issue has crossed over to other areas at this time. I believe this problem is more than just a religious one.  

Unless if the Christian sect of the Yorubas help in the dissemination of the almajiris, I still see it as a religious issue.

Kobojunkie:

Well, Almajiris are not all products of polygamous marriages. Some of the kids come from homes where the father is, say a Christian but mother being muslim turns to begging since the man is unable to provide adequately for his family. Some are divorced women looking seeking to feed themselves and their kids. Should we crucify these people because of issues with have with one religion or the other?

Without a culture of  Islamic polygamy ,this would not be happening in Yorubaland to the level of being a public nuisance.
It would remain in sharialands where it rightfully belongs.
It's in Kaduna and Kano that you could be eating a packet of gala in some areas and some small kids will be stretching out their hands at you and watching the piece of gala go from your esophagus into your small intestine.
These same kids will cut off your head when the religious riots start.
Giving alms is one of the 5 pillars of Islam,I guess these folks believe someone should be entitled to receive the alms.

Uche2nna:

Unless if the Christian sect of the Yorubas help in the dissemination of the almajiris, I still see it as a religious issue.

I gave an example of a Christian man married to a muslim woman and unable to provide for his family. If it turns out the man is some drunk or irresponsible provider, is it still a religious issue if the wife feels it is ok for her to go out to beg as an almajiri so she can feed her kids?

If you say it it, then fine.

Kobojunkie:

I gave an example of a Christian man married to a muslim woman and unable to provide for his family. If it turns out the man is some drunk or irresponsible provider, is it still a religious issue if the wife feels it is ok for her to go out to beg as an almajiri so she can feed her kids?

If you say it it, then fine.

I'm glad you said Muslim woman in your hypothetical example
You've answered your own question.