Latest forms of begging on Lagos streets..

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Begging has assumed new forms in the bustling metropolis and beggars are determined to sustain their means of livelihood. Almost every day, groups of
women dressed in white native buba and iro clothes of the Yoruba, invade parks, major bus stops and busy markets to beg for alms.
 Described as worshippers of Osun, incidentally the Yoruba goddess of love and wealth, these women move in pairs, often mixing freely with the crowd. With tiny bells that jingle at every turn, they try to draw the attention of passersby. On sighting a prospective benefactor, they would launch into a long chant, praising him in a manner so patronising that he would be forced to part with some cash.
 Usually, the praises are accompanied with prayers for protection of the giver from his enemies.

Another group of beggars known locally as ‘Fine bara’ are often found hanging around crowded and noisy places, such as bus stops. They are usually well-dressed, fluent and polite.
 Most of the time, they choose their targets carefully and quietly walk up to them to beg alms.

A third group of people surreptitiously plant themselves in commercial buses plying major routes in Lagos. As soon as the bus starts moving, they spring into action, preaching the Christian gospel to other passengers and praying for them. These pseudo-evangelists remind the passengers about the importance of committing the day’s business into the hand of God. Then, just as the vehicle approaches the final destination, they launch into prayers and handing each passenger an envelope, politely request donations in support of the ‘ministry’ or ‘work of God.’ Commuters travelling on inter-state routes are also not spared in the prayer hawking game. The prayer ‘warriors’ lurk in bus parks and wait for passengers to board a vehicle before emerging to ‘share the words of God’ with them and to pray for a safe journey.
Aware that they have just a few minutes to talk to the passengers and get something in appreciation of their gesture, these preachers finally request handouts from the audience, saying ‘God bless you as you help the work of God.’ As soon as he gets whatever the passengers are willing to drop, the prayer warrior recedes to his corner and waits for the next bus.

A fourth category of beggars neither solicit alms directly nor preach the gospel in disguise. They are neat, well dressed and speak fluent English. They loiter around busy places, patiently waiting for whoever they deem capable of parting with some cash. When they eventually spot their target, they approach him quietly and in a deliberately contrived tone, recount a string of misfortunes that have befallen them in order to win his sympathy. These artful beggars pretend to circumvent the subject, at first telling incredible tales of sorrow, often embellishing it with a brief account of how they got stranded in a particular place. Then they tell their victim how much money they would need to proceed on their journey and apologize for troubling him with their problems.

Yet, another dimension to begging in Lagos is the existence of so-called ‘mobile ministries.’ This form of begging is common in places like Ojodu Berger, Ogba and Ojota bus stops.
 Usually, the mobile ‘preacher’ attaches two or three specially built boxes to his cart. Although they are of different shapes and sizes, one feature common to all the boxes is the space created for ‘offerings.’ Without requesting it, the preacher expects passersby to drop in an occasional token, especially during rush hour.

Culled-The Punch

So my people which one do you belong to, i mean give alms to?


Say the truth!