Some residents of Kaduna, Kano and Katsina have expressed concern over the increase in street beggars in urban centres in the states.
A cross-section of the residents, who spoke in separate interviews, said the trend threatened social security and public health in the affected cities.
They also decried the influx of people from rural areas to urban centres and called for collaborative efforts to address the menace.
Begging for alms or charity is an age-long phenomenon in many societies across the globe. However, the multitude of beggars on the streets in parts of the country has been a source of concern to the authorities and members of the public.
Checks in Kaduna, Kano and Katsina showed that government offices, banks, eateries, markets, shopping malls, road intersections and traffic lights are besieged by desperate beggars, causing nuisance to unsuspecting public members.
Some of the street beggars, comprising children and female and male adults, are asking for money from people while others scavenge for leftover food, especially at eatery centres.
One of the beggars, Fati Isa, said she joined the street begging to enable her to fend for her children.
Ms Isa, a displaced person and mother of three, said her family lost their property to the bandits’ attack, adding that “we lost our belongings and livelihood; it is difficult to feed ourselves.”
Sunusi Abubakar, a 67-year-old resident of Hotoro quarters in the Kano metropolis, said he resorted to street begging after he lost his business capital to enable him to fend for his family’s needs.
He said he used the proceeds from begging to feed his two wives and 13 children, noting, “I normally go to begging together with two of my grandchild while my wives beg in other areas.”
Rakiya Ishaku and Baba Kande joined thousands of beggars who roam the streets in the Kano metropolis. The duo claimed to have escaped bandits’ attacks on their villages in Kankara and Shema, which are local government areas of Katsina state.
Commenting, some experts attributed the trend to poverty, rising cost of living and insecurity, which displaced thousands of people in the North-East and North-West regions.
Muhammad Ali, a Kaduna-based social analyst, said poverty, economic hardship and insecurity largely contributed to the increase in beggars in urban centres across the region.
“The current economic hardship is increasing the rate of poverty in the society. That’s why women and children took to the street begging.
“It also led to the high number of out-of-school children, which is a serious social problem,” he said.
He urged the government at all levels to adopt proactive measures to end poverty and enhance food security.
Kafayat Ayomide, an eatery operator in Kaduna, expressed worry over the many beggars frequently besieging her shop daily, lamenting that their presence disrupted her trading activities.
She called for sound measures to control inflation and empower the people to address the street begging menace.
On his part, an Islamic cleric, Abubakar Aliyu, said Islam discouraged begging, adding that people might seek assistance but should not take begging as a livelihood.
Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State has released N260 million for disbursement to 5,200 women under the second phase of the youths and women empowerment programme.
Mr Yusuf said each beneficiary would receive N50,000 to enable them to set up their businesses, adding that the gesture would cushion the effect of economic hardship.
(NAN)
