₦airaland Forum

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲

You see it every day at busy junctions across many Northern Nigerian cities. An elderly woman with a bowl. A child beside her. Sometimes even a grandchild. A quiet routine that has slowly become part of the urban landscape.

Most people respond with 50 naira or at most 1000naira and move on. Few pause to ask a harder question.

How did we get here, and why is it becoming more common?

This is not about ethnicity or blame. Poverty exists across every part of the country. The more important issue is the pattern that turns poverty into a visible, long term street survival system for elderly women and children.

In many cases, the roots are structural and intergenerational.

Limited access to education for girls in earlier decades meant that many women grew into adulthood without formal skills or certificates. Early marriage and high fertility rates in some communities created large households with limited economic stability. As urban migration increased, many younger family members moved away in search of work, leaving older relatives without financial support.

When there are no pensions, limited savings, and no alternative livelihood, survival becomes immediate rather than planned. For some, begging becomes the only accessible option.

At the same time, children growing up in such environments often repeat the cycle. School attendance drops. Street exposure increases. Long term economic vulnerability becomes inherited rather than chosen.

The result is not just individual hardship. It is a system that reproduces itself quietly over time.

There is also a cultural dimension worth noting. In many Nigerian communities, including within Islamic tradition, charity is intended as support for the vulnerable, not a permanent economic structure. When dependency becomes normalised across generations, it raises difficult questions about education, employment, and social protection systems.

The uncomfortable truth is that this is not a problem that any single region or group can solve alone. It reflects gaps in education access, rural development, job creation, and social welfare across the country.

The solution is not stigma. It is prevention.

If we want fewer elderly women and children on the streets in the next generation, then three things matter deeply today.

First, education must remain non negotiable, especially for the girl child. It is one of the strongest predictors of long term economic independence.

Second, skills and employability must be prioritised alongside formal schooling so that adulthood is not dependent on informal survival strategies.

Third, stronger social support systems for the elderly are essential, including community based safety nets that reduce absolute dependence on street begging.

Every coin given at a traffic light addresses today’s need. Only systemic change addresses tomorrow’s reality.

A society is judged not only by how it treats its strongest members, but by how few of its weakest are left without options.

Beggars wey get money pass many people.

Some Don build house

Even Jesus said,

You'd always have the poor around you.

It's what the government do that matters.

Government is suppose to bridge the gap between the rich and poor but this tinubu government keeps churning out draculain policies that further suffocate the poor.

We no longer have the middle class. It's either you are rich or poor.

able body women that can nack and have kids but dont want to do anything, some time ago javis that robot girl gave a woman with a child some money to start up something but she met her at same spot the following day

we should all note that it wasnt this way in lagos for example before it was elderly women and men majorly from the north singing this bambiala rhythm then, and other tribe who involve in begging were handicaps but now able body person with no physical ailment partake in begging.

the beggers have realized that nigerians emotions can easily be manipulated hence the ever increasing number.

We are breeding more jihadists territorists and criminals, when this kids grow old, untrained, jobless and uneducated, with an Islamic indoctrination, they become easy recruits for bokoharam and jihadists groups. We must stop breeding what will destroy us tomorrow. End street begging and almajirism.

Oga, if a serious government is willing to tackle this societal menace, in less than a decade this almagiri nonsense will be eradicated.

I am not referring to federal government along but also state and local governments.

Your post depicts only women begging, have you been to Lagos where able bodied men beg? Where able bodied men now see receiving as a right? Entitled able bodied young men in their early teens to late thirties? Begging has become an industry now in modern day NIgeria. We have more lazy people looking for quick source of money.

Charity (Zakat) is one of the 5 pillars of Islam... This is why some beggars are not only entitled, but begging would never end.

When I see beggars in front of a shop, I don't go there. Imagine someone sincerely thinking it's his right that I should give him my change without asking how I made money or if I have pressing problems.

Some of these beggar are richer than the givers...

Begging is a habit that diminishes dignity, self-respect, and personal responsibility. Every able person should strive to earn an honest living through hard work rather than depend on the generosity of others. In Islam, unnecessary begging is strongly discouraged, and believers are encouraged to work, be patient, and trust in Allah's provision. True honor lies in effort, productivity, and maintaining one's dignity, not in constantly asking others for support.

Street begging remains a major social challenge in Nigeria. One noticeable trend is that a large proportion of street beggars found in many southern cities originate from northern states, with many travelling hundreds of kilometers in search of alms.

While poverty, low educational opportunities, insecurity, and social conditions contribute to this problem, it is concerning that many of those involved are physically able-bodied and capable of engaging in productive work. Agriculture, livestock farming, small-scale trading, and vocational occupations can provide sustainable livelihoods when properly supported. THEY SHOULD HOLD THEIR GOVERNORS AND LGAs RESPONSIBLE FIRST.

The continued movement of large numbers of beggars from one region to another places pressure on urban centers and does little to address the root causes of poverty. Rather than encouraging a culture of dependence, government authorities, community leaders, and religious institutions should focus on education, skills acquisition, job creation, and agricultural development.

A lasting solution lies not in giving people reasons to beg, but in creating opportunities for them to work, earn, and live with dignity.

Street begging can not be stopped,

Most of this people prefer to beg than to work

Few months ago, I steadily observed one Hausa man that comes around to one major junction around my area for business. He basically comes there to exchange lower denomination notes for 1000 and 5 00 naira notes .
Albeit that he is slightly deformed, this guy dey change average of 50k every Wednesday with these Agbero guys. For such person it's pure business, not economic survival. If you like set up supermarket for them, they will immediately find their way back to the streets.

Pootle:
able body women that can nack and have kids but dont want to do anything, some time ago javis that robot girl gave a woman with a child some money to start up something but she met her at same spot the following day

we should all note that it wasnt this way in lagos for example before it was elderly women and men majorly from the north singing this bambiala rhythm then, and other tribe who involve in begging were handicaps but now able body person with no physical ailment partake in begging.

the beggers have realized that nigerians emotions can easily be manipulated hence the ever increasing number.

Sensiblerealist:
Few months ago, I steadily observed one Hausa man that comes around to one major junction around my area for business. He basically comes there to exchange lower denomination notes for 1000 and 5 00 naira notes .
Albeit that he is slightly deformed, this guy dey change average of 50k every Wednesday with these Agbero guys. For such person it's pure business, not economic survival. If you like set up supermarket for them, they will immediately find their way back to the streets.

spot on, i see buss conductors go too them too, and they charge a percent on the money you change,

i dont have problem with them but the children are my problem, many grow up to be a nuisance, if it was the elderly people of back then roaming the streets or a handicap or person with ailment it understandable but young women with no sign of deformity holding like 4 kids or telling them to go after passersby is nonsense

Is it only women on the streets? The whole country is now as south Africans called us ABEGISTAN.
Where will you go to that you will not be begged, enter bank, when leaving security go beg, supermarket nko, from cashier to security. Police will stop you on the road only to beg you for money. Begging has even become a culture thing, you hear jargons a such as twale, you boyr is loyal, show me love etc. Some days back I asked for directions to a place, after that the fellow said I should find him something. The one that shocked me most was when I entered cash and carry Allen avenue to buy a TV set, the begging was on another level, infact I asked the workers if that is how they do there, if I had know I wount have stepped into their show room.
It is so bad people beg bandits and kidnappers online to show them love.

dederocs:
We are breeding more jihadists territorists and criminals, when this kids grow old, untrained, jobless and uneducated, with an Islamic indoctrination, they become easy recruits for bokoharam and jihadists groups. We must stop breeding what will destroy us tomorrow. End street begging.

I love your comment.

It's exactly what I have been saying for a long time. Our greedy leaders created this insecurity problem today by creating brutal poverty and lack all over the country.

If the issue is not addressed, we will remain dreaming.

Lojical1:
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲

You see it every day at busy junctions across many Northern Nigerian cities. An elderly woman with a bowl. A child beside her. Sometimes even a grandchild. A quiet routine that has slowly become part of the urban landscape.

Most people respond with 50 naira or at most 1000naira and move on. Few pause to ask a harder question.

How did we get here, and why is it becoming more common?

This is not about ethnicity or blame. Poverty exists across every part of the country. The more important issue is the pattern that turns poverty into a visible, long term street survival system for elderly women and children.

In many cases, the roots are structural and intergenerational.

Limited access to education for girls in earlier decades meant that many women grew into adulthood without formal skills or certificates. Early marriage and high fertility rates in some communities created large households with limited economic stability. As urban migration increased, many younger family members moved away in search of work, leaving older relatives without financial support.

When there are no pensions, limited savings, and no alternative livelihood, survival becomes immediate rather than planned. For some, begging becomes the only accessible option.

At the same time, children growing up in such environments often repeat the cycle. School attendance drops. Street exposure increases. Long term economic vulnerability becomes inherited rather than chosen.

The result is not just individual hardship. It is a system that reproduces itself quietly over time.

There is also a cultural dimension worth noting. In many Nigerian communities, including within Islamic tradition, charity is intended as support for the vulnerable, not a permanent economic structure. When dependency becomes normalised across generations, it raises difficult questions about education, employment, and social protection systems.

The uncomfortable truth is that this is not a problem that any single region or group can solve alone. It reflects gaps in education access, rural development, job creation, and social welfare across the country.

The solution is not stigma. It is prevention.

If we want fewer elderly women and children on the streets in the next generation, then three things matter deeply today.

First, education must remain non negotiable, especially for the girl child. It is one of the strongest predictors of long term economic independence.

Second, skills and employability must be prioritised alongside formal schooling so that adulthood is not dependent on informal survival strategies.

Third, stronger social support systems for the elderly are essential, including community based safety nets that reduce absolute dependence on street begging.

Every coin given at a traffic light addresses today’s need. Only systemic change addresses tomorrow’s reality.

A society is judged not only by how it treats its strongest members, but by how few of its weakest are left without options.

There are more Southern girls begging online for urgent 2k than the female Northern beggars

Dshocker:
There are more Southern girls begging online for urgent 2k than the female Northern beggars

Urgent 2k beggers are something else

Tenses:
Oga, if a serious government is willing to tackle this societal menace, in less than a decade this almagiri nonsense will be eradicated.

I am not referring to federal government along but also state and local governments.

yiu mean a government that’s already hosting mass marriages with 1.5b state funds
In the next few years, those marriages will produce millions of another batch of almajiri kids ready to take on any vices
Northerners are irredeemable already and I don’t think there’s a quick fix
The rich, influential and the poor are working hand in hand

Oga go straight to d point and mention session of d country that begging is in their culture abeg
We rise by lifting others

Basicend:
I love your comment.

It's exactly what I have been saying for a long time. Our greedy leaders created this insecurity problem today by creating brutal poverty and lack all over the country.

It the issue is addressed, we will remain dreaming.

its ideological to them also
It’s their way of life
Borno state government just integrated about 1000 boko haram fighters into the country
Fighters they told us came from Libya, Mali and sort
Now they are legal citizens of Nigeria
To them it’s religion and tribal alliance over anything
A northerner sees a Fulani man from far away Libya as his brother more than someone from middle belt that is just few kilometers from him
And even their rich and influential have the same mindset

We have the able body online Almajiris, while we also have able body offline Almajiris, imagine and able body human being begging on the street with pitied eyes when I've already woke up 5.30 am heading to work, sometimes i feel like wiping those guys koboko for approaching me, and able body person like them for money.

Sirseedorf:
We have the able body online Almajiris, while we also have able body offline Almajiris, imagine and able body human being begging on the street with pitied eyes when I've already woke up 5.30 am heading to work, sometimes i feel like wiping those guys koboko for approaching me, and able body person like them for money.

We also have the APC-created Almajiris. This was Ekiti yesterday.

HAPPENING in Ekiti State Nigeria. The Governor is throwing Bread to the citizen as though they're animal
😭😭😭💔💔💔

The damages that APC has done to Nigeria will take decades of hard work to fix. pic.twitter.com/F4STEutk8W

— Queen Bee 👑 🐝 (@RealQueenBee__) June 19, 2026

Tenses:
Even Jesus said,

You'd always have the poor around you.

It's what the government do that matters.

Government is suppose to bridge the gap between the rich and poor but this tinubu government keeps churning out draculain policies that further suffocate the poor.

We no longer have the middle class. It's either you are rich or poor.

But he didn't say, " the beggers you will always have among you".

ehinmowo:
But he didn't say, " the beggers you will always have among you".

It's poverty that pushed most people to beg right?

When Paul and Silas met the lame begger at the beautiful gate, Paul said "silver and gold I have not but what I have I give".

Basicend:
I love your comment.

It's exactly what I have been saying for a long time. Our greedy leaders created this insecurity problem today by creating brutal poverty and lack all over the country.

If the issue is not addressed, we will remain dreaming.

That is why I see northern leaders as evil hypocrites, you are feeling the heat of jihadists territorists and kidnappers, they are killing your people, raping your school children and women, yet you continue almajiri system, that create more indoctrnated, uneducated, untrained poor youths into society, you are breeding the monsters yourself...that is why people think it's sinister, maybe the leaders have a selfish, sinister agenda...it doesn't take a genius to figure this out, even a so called scholar who always support terrorists have never mentioned this...very suspicious.

faceland:
Charity (Zakat) is one of the 5 pillars of Islam... This is why some beggars are not only entitled, but begging would never end.

When I see beggars in front of a shop, I don't go there. Imagine someone sincerely thinking it's his right that I should give him my change without asking how I made money or if I have pressing problems.

If only you're not averse to self education, you'd have learnt the the same Islam abhors begging.
And no Zakat isn't meant for street beggars.

Nozarashi:
If only you're not averse to self education, you'd have learnt the the same Islam abhors begging.
And no Zakat isn't meant for street beggars.

I just said what i experienced. May be you should educate the beggars and their mallams to eradicate this practice over here.