VIEW FROM NIGERIA

Child beggars on our streets

“God bless you ma,” prayed a voice in a traffic go-slow. “May you never lack the good things in life. May you always have a safe passage to wherever you are bound.” The prayer went on and on at the window of the car. Normally, this scene abounds everywhere in Lagos and possibly to a lower extent, in some big towns. That mid-morning, as the traffic crawled annoyingly along Broad Street, I was quite prepared to ignore the various sets of beggars since I had already given my contribution for the day to some sets earlier that morning. No matter how determined you are, not to be moved by piteous pleas (false or real), you do feel embarrassed when the praying voice drones on and on, drawing other people's gaze to you. I was determined not to be moved that day so my eyes stayed away from the side where the persistent voice kept praying. “This can't continue forever even though traffic is at a standstill,” I told myself, as other beggars, discouraged by my stance passed rapidly by on the other side. Just as I was settling down to reading a magazine, the persistent voice suddenly got through to me and I realized that is belonged to a young Nigerian female child. What disability did she have? I had to look her way.

Her head was barely above the car window, she was slim and looked in the eight to twelve group. She had no disability whatsoever, but had a baby of about six months strapped to her back. She did not feel glad that she had captured my attention at last, but merely went on with her loud prayer, her lacklustre eyes hardly focusing on anything in particular. “May you always enjoy good health, ma”, she continued. Since she had made it a point to stay with me all the time traffic was at a stand-still there, I felt obliged to give her some money. She murmured her thanks in a bored manner, hitched up the baby on her back and began to move off. “Come”, I called out in Yoruba and she retraced her steps. “What about school?” I asked her. It had suddenly occurred to me that at her age and with no disability, she should either be at school, or hawking some items somewhere or even selling in the market. In the village, she would be in the market or the farm if she was not at school. She had no business begging at the roadside. “School ma?” she echoed, looking at me with some surprise on her sad and tired young face, as if I should understand life enough not to expect the likes of her to be at school.

“Yes, school”, I told her sternly, as if it was her fault that she was out begging. “Why aren't you at school”? She continued gazing at me.

“How old are you?”

“Ten.” “Have you never been to school?”

“I used to go to school many years ago, but I stopped.”

“Why?”

“No money and ...”

Just then the traffic began to move and I had to leave her there. It must have been a great relief to the masses about 45 years ago when free education was introduced. Ambitious but poor people who had to attend school in fits and spasms as their finances dictated, had schooling stabilized for them as they were able to get educated to a certain level. Products of the early stage of free education are to be found today in many achieving areas of life. Some got scholarships to go to post-primary institutions while others worked and sat for G. C. E. From there, they had moved on to higher things. Those who did not move on or who were intellectually lazy or handicapped, at least, were in a position to read and write. Thus, one should not be surprised to see many market women and farmers under 45 even in remote areas and who have no claims to wealth, being able to 'stagger' through newspapers and magazines and religious texts. Literacy involving any language is good for a nation as it enhances progress. Education in state schools is supposedly free at all stages these days. That is, tuition is free. So, if you live in a big town, your kids, if they are lucky to gain admission into institutions there, can study from primary school level to university level without paying for tuition. They would live with you at home and commute to school. This sounds nice and easy, but what about all the costs involved in sending a child to school these days? Can a poor family afford to send the kids to school? No, it cannot. School uniform, shoes, books and other school materials are priced out of the poor man's reach. Apart from all these, there are unreasonable financial demands from schools e.g. money to collect one form or the other, PTA dues and also unfair conditions from the state governments e.g. tax clearance certificate before a child is given admission into any state school, receipts of general levies on parents, etc.

Who will suffer a set back in life if all these conditions are not met? The parents or the children? It is definitely the children. They will have to stay at home and remain illiterate. Since there are more poor and deprived kids than well-to-do ones, the pace of progress in the richest and the most populous country in black Africa will forever remain slow. Social unrest like hooliganism, armed robbery, prostitution (male and female), drug pushing and taking, unwanted pregnancies, would be on the increase. Our richly blessed country would be regarded a danger zone by the rest of the world. Education broadens the mind and if added to good examples from adult citizens, can help mould the young ones the right way. The payment of taxes is essential so that worthwhile projects can be carried out for the good of the nation, but children should not be deprived of education because their parents did not pay tax. The governments should make adults (not children) suffer for not paying taxes. Much as they would like to have their kids go to schools, some parents, if there is an inconvenience, would not mind allowing their offspring to remain illiterate. Then there are those who cannot pay taxes because they have no means of livelihood. The various governments should devise ways of encouraging children not only to go to school, but to remain at school. Things like cheap and easy transportation, reduced costs of school materials including uniforms and adequate supply of teachers, and teaching aids.

It is disgraceful that at this stage of our development, we should have our able-bodied children begging at the roadside instead of being at school. Who are the keepers of these kids? Who cares about their future? The Social Welfare Department, backed up by law-enforcing agencies should go round and keep these kids off the streets. The government should feel responsible for them, since they are citizens of this country.

Helen Ovbiagele
12 December 2004

 

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