The Menace of Corporate begging in Lagos

 By Praise Olowe

Just when I thought the issue of corporate begging had seized in Lagos, some of my recent encounters within the Lagos metropolis has got me re thinking.

Corporate beggars seem to be back in town and this time around, they are back in re branded styles.
Street begging is not new in Nigeria, and it majorly involves visibly disadvantaged people, who line major roads to beg for money.

You would agree with me that, seeing a good looking man who is all dressed up in tuxedo, carrying a fancy brief case and wearing a pair of shoe so well polished that you can almost see your reflection in them on the street of Lagos is not at all a concern.

However, it becomes one when this corporately dressed man, walks up to a lady not to make advances, but to seek assistance backing it up with a really pathetic story.
This was my experience a few days ago, at the Oshodi area of Lagos.

This handsome looking guy, walked up to me and said: (not the exact words used)
"Sorry ma, please I need your help. I am new in Lagos, and I am currently stranded. I came to Lagos from Warri for a job interview. On getting to Oshodi, I discovered my wallet was no longer with me. I don't want to go for the interview again. I just want to go back to Warri. Please help me."
Assessing his dressing and composure, I innocently gave him the sum of N1000 which he immediately collected, said thank you and left.

It became a great shock for me when I realized on Sunday, that I had been swindled by a corporate beggar some days back.

It dawned on me, when I saw the same good looking man from two weeks ago, on a street in the Ikeja area of Lagos walk towards the vehicle I boarded with an elderly woman obviously trying to convince her the same way he did with me.

Read Also: Photos: Heaps of reuse on the streets of Lagos

He was wearing a different jacket and carrying the same box he had with him then. I watched him walk away quietly as I thought to myself, is begging now a profession?

We all know that before now, beggars were people who had lesser means of daily living. They are people who resorted to begging when all means of survival had eluded them.

It is of course alarming when beggars who approach you, are almost as dressed as you are if not better.

No doubt, these are 21st century beggars.

Still bothered and wanting to know if I was the only one who has had such experience in recent  times, I decided to ask others.

To my greatest surprise, a larger percentage of people Interviewed, have had one encounter or the other with these professional beggars.

According to Titilayo, a 200L Mass Communication student of UNILAG, she said:

Few weeks to the last Christmas celebration, I saw this handsome looking Young man at Ikeja.
He was neatly dressed and very cute. He approached the bus I was in and in my mind I was saying his car probably broke down. I was so disappointed when he started his sentence with please.
He appealed to every one of us in the bus to help him with any amount we have.
 I became scared when he broke down in tears explaining how robbers attacked him and collected everything he had. He said he needed to complete his fee before that Friday and all the money had been collected. He was pitied by many and we all gave him something. Just last month (January) I saw this same guy in Ogba asking for help telling the same lie.

As if that wasn't enough, another person who had such experience was Ifetide, a Lagos based entrepreneur. Describing his experience, he said:

About three months ago, a corporately dressed man approached me and said his wife was at the point of death as she was expecting a baby.

He said he was on his way in search of a job when he got the call.  According to him, the doctors prescribed an operation as the only way of keeping the mother and child alive and that he was asked to pay N110, 000 before they can commence the surgery.

He said he had deposited N78, 000 but the doctors are still insisting that the money must be complete. He asked for any amount. I felt sorry for him and gave him 5k. I would have done more if I had but I bless God that I didn't because I saw that same idiot recently at Egbeda and this time, he is a student who needs money to complete his final year project.
 I called him to ask few questions and before I knew it, he ran away.

Similarly, Ruth a graduate of psychology had the same experience at Isolo Lagos.
This time around, the corporate beggar came as a prayer warrior.
According to her, he gave her prophecies that seemed true and she was almost giving in.

He gave me some prophecies that I can't really recall. These prophecies were quite true. Honestly,

I would have given him money but at that moment, I didn't have more than N330 with me. He said he was going to follow me to the ATM stand but I didn't have my card with me. He also said he would follow me home to pick up my card but I needed to see a friend urgently. We exchanged numbers and I promised to call him. He even gave me prayer points for free.
It was when I got to my friend's house that I realized I was almost cheated because according to her, she had experienced such countless times and once, they went with her 15k.

These are just a few of the escapades of these corporate beggars in Lagos.

If the truth be told, these beggars, in most cases, smile all the way to the bank as I recently read in the News how a corporate beggar made 300,000 monthly in Ikeja before he was arrested.

These beggars increase in numbers daily and are almost taking the shine away from the real handicapped persons.

How this menace can be checked remains a mirage.

However, the few people interviewed have called on the government to ensure that necessary steps are taken in other to stop these beggars from roaming the streets easily.