stay in lagos long enough, and you will lose sympathy for beggars

alot of them are hustlers

a few of my experiences

i used to take a bus from cms to festac. there was this fellow there - said he was from liberia. would come every day, preach give sermons about his experiences, thank God, etc etc. one day, a guy from my office who used the sam bus stop decided to follow the guy when the guy left the area. he eventually followed the guy to a joint where area boys were smoking igbo. from that point on, he would always warn people whenever he saw the fellow

one day i was i a bus on my way to cms. a beggar with one arm came about was jovially begging, when the conductor said something. i do not know what the conductor said, but it was like a switch flipped. the beggar immediately turned to a hardcore area boy, threatening the conductor etal. people were slack jawed and wondering - so if this fellow had two arms

at one time kai were supposed to rid lagos of beggars. tis was some years back. i was in cms and this kai guy with a baton was harassing this lame beggar on roller skates. without warning, and out of nowhere, the beggar produced a hefty icepick and scattered the baton.

as an it student, i went with a staff bus that passed through fivestar apapa oshodi expresway on my way to work. there was this woman , always depserate looking with three naked toddlers. the men on the bus used to curse her. one talked about a day when a woman gave this lady clothes for the kids, and the next day they were back still naked. i beliv i have seen that woman in other parts of lagos at some time or the other , children were bigger and still naked

when i first came to lagos in 1999, i didnt understand the indifference of lagosians to beggars. i have a better understanding now. a lot of hard working lagosians can see that a lot of beggars are i'm sorry to say, just hustlers

then of course there are the ones you will see who will tell may Jesus bless u and switch in a nanosecond to May almighty Allah answer your prayers when they realise they guessed the wrong religion

i could go on forever

hope spam bot doesnt do his thing. i will be pissed

Aloy he has promised to provid dem shelter and vocation.let's see how it goes

fashola may want to contest in 2015(president), he should consider all this begger as the citizen also ,if not when it is time almajari will vote him out as president,Lagos state should create camp for this people ,if not in 2015 the,

oyb:

stay in lagos long enough, and you will lose sympathy for beggars

alot of them are hustlers

a few of my experiences

i used to take a bus from cms to festac. there was this fellow there - said he was from liberia. would come every day, preach give sermons about his experiences, thank God, etc etc. one day, a guy from my office who used the sam bus stop decided to follow the guy when the guy left the area. he eventually followed the guy to a joint where area boys were smoking igbo. from that point on, he would always warn people whenever he saw the fellow

one day i was i a bus on my way to cms. a beggar with one arm came about was jovially begging, when the conductor said something. i do not know what the conductor said, but it was like a switch flipped. the beggar immediately turned to a hardcore area boy, threatening the conductor etal. people were slack jawed and wondering - so if this fellow had two arms

at one time kai were supposed to rid lagos of beggars. tis was some years back. i was in cms and this kai guy with a baton was harassing this lame beggar on roller skates. without warning, and out of nowhere, the beggar produced a hefty icepick and scattered the baton.

as an it student, i went with a staff bus that passed through fivestar apapa oshodi expresway on my way to work. there was this woman , always depserate looking with three unclothed toddlers. the men on the bus used to curse her. one talked about a day when a woman gave this lady clothes for the kids, and the next day they were back still unclothed. i beliv i have seen that woman in other parts of lagos at some time or the other , children were bigger and still unclothed

when i first came to lagos in 1999, i didnt understand the indifference of lagosians to beggars. i have a better understanding now. a lot of hard working lagosians can see that a lot of beggars are i'm sorry to say, just hustlers

then of course there are the ones you will see who will tell may Jesus bless u and switch in a nanosecond to May almighty Allah answer your prayers when they realise they guessed the wrong religion

i could go on forever

hope spam bot doesnt do his thing. i will be pissed

LMAO. Maybe that's where he gets his inspiration from.

Seriously they have become a nuisance to the society,come to pencinema railway ,they have made th place their headquaters,with children everywhere

it is surely a lucrative biz for this hausa ppl and ppl from some parts of oyo

[size=16pt]WHEN DID THE EXCEUTIVE ARM OF GOVERMENT BECOME THE LEGISLATIVE ARM. THE LAW SHOULD BE TESTED,  SOMEBODY SHOULD GIVE ARMS TO THE BEGGERS AND LET US SEE WHAT LAW FASHOLA AND HIS COHORTS WOULD  USE TO PROSECUTE THE PERSON.

THE LEGISLATIVE ARM OF LAGOS STATE HAD BETTER WAKE UP TO HER RESPONSIBILITY[/size]. 

I lived in Lagos for 4 years. I was robbed four times, the last two at gun point. These  beggars are a menace! Theybeseige your vehicle, spit on your windows, curse you when you don't give them money. Now they leave long scratches on your vehicle as well. For the crippled ones, the roll under moving vehicles, endanger peoples lives and theirs. My cousin actually killed one because he wanted to pass underneath his truck. So why are we all complaiing?
these beggars carry diseases. I close mywindows whenever they are in sight. My kids are forbidden from touching or speaking to them. I will whole heartedly support other alternatives to tackling this menace on Lagos roads.
yes you may be here and play sanctimonious but in this particular matter they should be removed from the roads. They are a danger to tourists, our kids, our safety and our health.
of course the agberos should also be tackled but I think its one after the other. And yes majority of these beggars are not from Lagos. They are clearly from the north. They should be sent right back to the north! Let their corrupt governors, who benefit parasitically from this ineffective federal structure we run, who propagate sharia, who encourage this almajiri scourge, at least provide common immunization to their teeming 11 year old wives with VVF and spare me, the southern infidel, this nonsense.

Sorry am so angry right now,

Tcrack:

this lagos own don de too much o. masqurade must not dance, beggers must not beg. na wetin. e be like se i go return to my state sef.

You dey do masqurade business? Lol

You cannot stop public begging in a big multi-cultural city like lagos. It is natural that there would be beggars, and they would probably come back in either 5-10 years to come.

igbogolo:

I lived in Lagos for 4 years. I was robbed four times, the last two at gun point. These  beggars are a menace! Theybeseige your vehicle, spit on your windows, curse you when you don't give them money. Now they leave long scratches on your vehicle as well. For the crippled ones, the roll under moving vehicles, endanger peoples lives and theirs. My cousin actually killed one because he wanted to pass underneath his truck. So why are we all complaiing?
these beggars carry diseases. I close mywindows whenever they are in sight. My kids are forbidden from touching or speaking to them. I will whole heartedly support other alternatives to tackling this menace on Lagos roads.
yes you may be here and play sanctimonious but in this particular matter they should be removed from the roads. They are a danger to tourists, our kids, our safety and our health.
of course the agberos should also be tackled but I think its one after the other. And yes majority of these beggars are not from Lagos. They are clearly from the north. They should be sent right back to the north! Let their corrupt governors, who benefit parasitically from this ineffective federal structure we run, who propagate sharia, who encourage this almajiri scourge, at least provide common immunization to their teeming 11 year old wives with VVF and spare me, the southern infidel, this nonsense.

Sorry am so angry right now,

i think u have a very big problem with people

you call a certain set o people a disease just because they are begging you for money

what kind of people do we have in nigeria sef

Looking 4 way 2 frustrate d JOBLESS, he wants 2 reduce d population of dose dat dont pay tax. I support u BRT, very soon we will need VISA to enter Lagos. Small London!!

it is surely a lucrative biz for this hausa ppl and ppl from some parts of oyo. Can u prove ur comment?

Nigerian leaders will never cease to amuse me. Rather face the developmental challenges facing them, they are busy pre-occupying their minds with trivial issues.So, Fashola wants to teach me how to spend my money eh? I can decide to throw my money to all the beggars in lagos to all i care.

Rather than confront the real cause of begging, he is busy promulgating draconian laws.Create opportunities for them and they will stop begging.Why not recruit them to clean the roads, drainage and other menial jobs.

chamber2:

Nigerian leaders will never cease to amuse me. Rather face the developmental challenges facing them, they are busy pre-occupying their minds with trivial issues.So, Fashola wants to teach me how to spend my money eh? I can decide to throw my money to all the beggars in lagos to all i care.

Rather than confront the real cause of begging, he is busy promulgating draconian laws.Create opportunities for them and they will stop begging.Why not recruit them to clean the roads, drainage and other menial jobs.

gbammmmm

supported

alj_harem:

i think u have a very big problem with people

you call a certain set o people a disease just because they are begging you for money

what kind of people do we have in nigeria sef

Oga, let's be realistic. If you don't have money to feed, how can you have money for healthcare? Keeping healthy is very expensive and so called 'rich people' can't afford it. So when next you see the Lagos beggers swap body fluids with them ok?
and I amnot being derogatory. I am just saying it as I see it. I don't have to be sanctimonius about this and you don't have the moral priviledges to judge me.
I have suffered because if these beggers and I am recounting my experiences.

alj_harem:

gbammmmm

supported

Oga, what's the cause of begging? Is it lack of education, lack of opportunities, lack of healthcare, lack of commonsense, lack ofhuman feeling, laziness, stubbornness, religious beliefs, corruption,wickedness, competition, etc? What exactly is the cause of begging and what should fasola do? Why should Lagos state provide for the whole country? Why must every handicapped person aggravate towards Lagos? How can the economy of Lagos be sustained if its workforce are all handicapped beggers? And why must the government do everything?
i saw our guard in Lagos. He abandoned his post in Abuja and was riding okada in Lagos. Lagos has a strong gravitational pull for these beggers because they are also swayed by the promise of hitting it big begging.

Oga, what's the cause of begging? Is it lack of education, lack of opportunities, lack of healthcare, lack of commonsense, lack ofhuman feeling, laziness, stubbornness, religious beliefs, corruption,wickedness, competition, etc? What exactly is the cause of begging and what should fasola do? Why should Lagos state provide for the whole country? Why must every handicapped person aggravate towards Lagos? How can the economy of Lagos be sustained if its workforce are all handicapped beggers? And why must the government do everything?
i saw our guard in Lagos. He abandoned his post in Abuja and was riding okada in Lagos. Lagos has a strong gravitational pull for these beggers because they are also swayed by the promise of hitting it big begging.

Oga, so you are asking the cause of begging in an environment riddled with poverty and misery?A country where even the educated cannot find a stand not to talk of the less fortunate.Where will he dump them if he sends them away?

Fashola Has Made d Rule,and It Has Bin PASSED,Which Nw Makes It A LAW
There Is No Nid Arguing Over a SPLIT Oil. I Tink d BEST Move Nw Is 2 Pass diz Lattest Dev 2 Our Loved Ones 2 Avoid Bin Thrown Behind Bars.
2 Yrs In Prison No b 2days, wit diz 'BEAUTIFUL PRISONS ' We 've In NIGERIA.
Next.

This is a stu.pi.d law from beginning to end. If you want to get rid of beggars, why not get them off the streets into social centres that at least guarantees them free meals and vocational training? Having failed in your responsibility in that regard, you cannot now arrest a person that chooses to give alms to misfortunate people. There is no body that is officially tagged or designated as a 'beggar' in the eyes of the law. . .so how enforceable is this idiotic law? Besides the constitution (which is the grund norm) guarantees me freedom of association. . .which includes the right to 'associate' with homeless or unprivileged people; to all intents and purposes, therefore, this idiotic law is inconsistent with the constitution, and is accordingly null & void. Even in the USA there are destitutes and homeless people in street corners who solicit and receive alms from sympathetic passers' by. But again, Nigeria always likes to come first from behind in everything st.upid.

I would go out right now and give alms to any beggar I see; I challenge any goon of the Lagos state government to arrest me so that I would challenge the foolish law in court. I wonder when Nigeria would learn to develop methodically and stop this all-too-familiar knee-jerk approach of always putting the cart before the horse. Absolute nonsense.

Hope the implementation would not be difficult.

fashola u 4 carry gun kill d remain
beggars 4 lag

This is a step in the right direction.Fashola must put his foot down & rid the street of those nuisance.By the time two or three pple are punished for giving alms others will begin to take notice.I really can't fathom how anybody can get bitter over this move like they really care.

Even in the UK there are sign posts everywhere urging people not to give money to destitutes (Please do not kill with kindness)but instead give to charity which will in turn take care of these beggars.What some of you fail to understand is that even if a billion jobs are created some folks would still beg because it's easy money & they can't be bothered to work.

pro01:

This is a stu.pi.d law from beginning to end. If you want to get rid of beggars, why not get them off the streets into social centres that at least guarantees them free meals and vocational training? Having failed in your responsibility in that regard, you cannot now arrest a person that chooses to give alms to misfortunate people. There is no body that is officially tagged or designated as a 'beggar' in the eyes of the law. . .so how enforceable is this idiotic law? Besides the constitution (which is the grund norm) guarantees me freedom of association. . .which includes the right to 'associate' with homeless or unprivileged people; to all intents and purposes, therefore, this idiotic law is inconsistent with the constitution, and is accordingly null & void. Even in the USA there are destitutes and homeless people in street corners who solicit and receive alms from sympathetic passers' by. But again, Nigeria always likes to come first from behind in everything st.upid.

I would go out right now and give alms to any beggar I see; I challenge any goon of the Lagos state government to arrest me so that I would challenge the foolish law in court. I wonder when Nigeria would learn to develop methodically and stop this altoo-familiar knee-jerk approach of always putting the cart before the horse. Absolute nonsense.

Oga, Lagos state have in many instances in the recent past removed these beggers but they always made it back to lagos even when some of them were 'deported' to their states of origin. This is a social issue and I am confident its the best thing to do.

Do having failed to achieve any success by removing them, the government has resorted to the law and has banned aims giving to them. This is to me a better approach. When these beggers no longer receive money, then they cannot purchase anything they like including drugs and weapons that make life miserable for law abiding citizens.

I know you are sentimental about this development but I think fashioa and the Lagos state assembly are right on this one. As a good citizen I think you are, you are bound to accept it or challenge it. I know you can't and won't!
when these beggers no longer get money, I an sure they would seriously consider their next best alternative which is to enroll in government programs or other private initiatives that have been set ul for their benefit

I dont think that this policy will surely, how can someone who have and wants to give 20 naira, take it to motherless babies? There are better ways to contain this folks without constituting a nuissance to the society.

I dont think that this policy will surely, how can someone who have and wants to give 20 naira, take it to motherless babies? There are better ways to contain this folks without constituting a nuissance to the society.

The able bodied ones among them should be forced to work or arrested and treated like criminals. I dont see the reason someone created without any dysfunction can not join in making the world a better place.

Another thing is that they should be warned to desist from embarrassing passerbys with the way the grasp people clothe. Also their places of operation should be kept clean with their children in good wears not appearing like ragammuffins

cold:

This is a step in the right direction.Fashola must put his foot down & rid the street of those nuisance. By the time two or three pple are punished for giving alms others will begin to take notice.I really can't fathom how anybody can get bitter over this move like they really care.

Even in the UK there are sign posts everywhere urging people not to give money to destitutes (Please do not kill with kindness) but instead give to charity which will in turn take care of these beggars. What some of you fail to understand is that even if a billion jobs are created some folks would still beg because it's easy money & they can't be bothered to work.

My guy, that is exactly what the Lagos state government ought to emulate - they don't have the power to do more than that. They should rather be beseeching, persuading, advising, exhorting, urging citizens not to encourage the nuisance of beggars by giving alms. My annoyance is COMPELLING citizens by promulgating a draconian law to that effect; a law that is totally inconsistent with the constitution and manifestly not enforceable nor is it justiceable. You cannot attempt to tackle the problem by threatening to arrest those who give alms - it is well within their fundamental/constitutional rights to do so. This is a democracy, not a totalitarian or fascist state where one id.iot can just wake up one morning to instruct us on how to spend our own money.

pro01:

My guy, that is exactly what the Lagos state government ought to emulate - they don't have the power to do more than that. They should rather be beseeching, persuading, advising, exhorting, urging citizens not to encourage the nuisance of beggars by giving alms. My annoyance is COMPELLING citizens by promulgating a draconian law to that effect; a law that is totally inconsistent with the constitution and manifestly not enforceable nor is it justiceable. You cannot attempt to tackle the problem by threatening to arrest those who give alms - it is well within their fundamental/constitutional rights to do so. This is a democracy, not a totalitarian or fascist state where one id.iot can just wake up one morning to instruct us on how to spend our own money.

Well bro, begging and prodding and urging and beseeching does not get things done in Lagos or even in Nigeria

I agree with Fashola on this one. We need to reduce the menace of street begging. I remember driving from Lekki to VI in traffic and I saw someone with an inflammation of the scrotum sitting in the middle of the road, begging for alms! The inflamed scrotum was exposed and everybody including children could see the horrible sight. DAMN!!! I was pissed off. In Lagos, you find cripples gliding along with cars on their "skate boards". They pose a lot of danger to themselves and to commuters.

The law has to be used to organize them or stamp them out of Lagos else, they will keep coming in their droves. Why should one state carry the weight of the nation's foolishness. An irresponsible sharia system churns out some of these amputees and they end up in Lagos. Let them go back to their home and let their system take care of them.  If it becomes a nightmare for them in Lagos, they will think twice before coming. If they decide to go to other states, let the other states deal with it. I hope they too will take a cue from Lagos. When they all go back to their homes, their states can take care of them or sink with them. It's their choice.

If we want to be developed as a nation, we have to start controlling these things seriously. You cannot just sit in the middle of the road in New York and beg for alms. You cannot sit on a skate board in London and hang on to any car that goes by. Yes, there are still beggars in these places but they are controlled and not encouraged to go on the streets. Lagos as it is right now encourages them to keep coming. Those who need help are to be catered for by a welfare system and should not be on the streets. Alms collection points can be placed in strategic locations around the city to make it easy for those who want to give alms. Every shop can affiliate itself with some registered charity organization and help collect alms decently.