We Depend on what We get from Begging; We didn’t choose this life, Beggars tell Wike Over Eviction
By Trek Africa Newspaper
“What have we done?” a beggar, Ali Bappa, exclaimed in disbelief when our correspondent informed him about the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike’s directive to arrest beggars in the nation’s capital.
Wike had, during the flag-off ceremony for access road construction in the Katampe District on Tuesday, threatened a crackdown on beggars.
Lamenting the increasing population of beggars in the FCT, the former Rivers State governor ordered law enforcement agents to start apprehending them from Monday.
“Let me state clearly that we have declared war; Abuja is turning into a beggar city. If you know you have a sister or brother who is a beggar, please, from next week, we will take them away. It is embarrassing that people will come in and the first things they will see are just beggars on the road,” Wike had said.
Not done, Wike accused some of them of being criminals, adding that they had till Sunday to find their way out of the nation’s capital.
Though unaware of the new order, Bappa wondered if any plan had been made to provide them with alternative means of livelihood, expressing concern over their uncertain future.
According to him, begging was never something he took pleasure in, adding that he hated the discrimination attached to being a beggar in the nation’s capital.
He said, “This situation I find myself in is not something I wanted. It can happen to anyone who is still alive. Some people see us coming and run away.
“In public vehicles, nobody wants to sit close to us. You see, some people think that just by interacting with me, they will become blind.”
At the moment, Bappa says he and his family rely on the kindness of strangers for survival. With the economy in such dire straits, he fears they may face starvation if no alternative comes their way.
“We depend on what I get from begging. With the current economy, where people are suffering and there’s no food, my family and I will have to stay at home and wait for death because there will be nothing to live on—no food,” he said.
Asked what else he could do if supported, he says he knits well, urging the government to empower beggars instead of locking them up.
“I can knit very well, forget that I am blind. The government should empower us instead of arresting and detaining us. We have many of us who are gifted.”
Unlike Bappa, Safiyanu Bako, another beggar, is aware of the order and plans to leave the nation’s capital for Kebbi, his home state, to continue his trade.
Bako, who has multiple disabilities, believes arresting beggars is far from the right solution, especially in the face of the severe hardship he and his colleagues have been experiencing.
He said, “I came from Kebbi to look for a means of livelihood. I didn’t have anything to do, which is why I started begging. I heard the news on the radio yesterday. I don’t want any problems, so I’m going back to my hometown because if I stay here, there will be nothing for me to do.
“I have three children and a wife. Even if I return, I don’t know what I’m going to do. Many of us are willing to work but have no opportunity. If they say we shouldn’t beg anymore, there should be something else in place for us. I am not happy about begging.”
