Why Only Us?

[_Waziri_]

This topic started off well discussing the social probelm of beggars in the streets of mainly Northern cities and has now lost the thread due to argument about the meaning of words. Can we get back to examining possible solutions to this problem and drop the semantic arguements?

Ok, Mr. David go and discuss the social problems of begging and at the end of the day release your communique which is agaist MAROKA and ALMAJIRAI to see whether anybody out there will take you serious.

This is a simple truth. Accept the corrections made, appear humble and don't believe Waziri hates you or is being too academic then at the end of the day you will yourself having a well focused discussion and a communique that will be taken serious by the public.

[Dan-Sokoto]

Assalaam!

Despite the relevant observation introduced by my very good brother Waziri, i am of the opinion that we continue on our chosen path of dissecting the problems of 'almajirai masu zuwa bara gida gida a cikin Nigeria'. Most of them young boys are plucked from their villages, towns and families brought under tutelage of an Islamic teacher travelling from one place to another surving under what soldiers literally call "living off the land", and some other types of begging as well.

To address Waziri's concerns, despite whatever minor lack of understanding we have in the semantics/meanings and definitions, we are all one and the same in understanding the social menace we are talking about and the need to stamp it out. Like a US supreme court judge said on the defination of pornography - that even though he may be at difficulty defining it, he knows it when he sees it. So, it is with the issue we are discussing now. Where others have tried and have not been successful, we may just try and become successful. Who says for instance, a participant in this discourse may one day not be in a position to make things happen to bring about a change in this menance? For God's sake Waziri, let us try our best and let us know that we have tried our best. Like Ado Kurawa whom u said had written before- my prayer for him is that, may the almighty Allah reward him for his efforts-Amen. So Waziri, please cheer up and dont loose hope.

Without going too much into the semantics, i basically understand we are dealing with broadly 2 issues of this nature. First is the issue of almajirai, the young islamic scholars who move from place to place in search of Quranic/Islamic education. They have to beg to sustain themselves. Secondly, there is the beggars who don't fall into the categories of seekers of Quranic/Islamic education but just beg due to one disability or the other. Yet there could be another category of those who just go and beg without any disability. For me, i think we should address all these categories without any exception.

I promised to narrate a small story about beggars of northern extraction based in Lagos. Here it goes:-

Some years back during IBB regime in Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji was installed Sardaunan Sokoto by Sultan Dasuki. We may all recall that since the demise of late Ahmadu Bello in January 1966, nobody was found fit enough to be bestowed such a reverred title made very very important by the late premiere of northern nigeria. So after the turbanning ceremony, the new Sardauna came back to his base in Lagos and on arrival he received a tumultous welcome at the airport from the hausas based in Lagos headed by the Sarkin Hausawa. part of the Sarkin Hausawa's speech and request was for the new Sardauna to please help in stopping begging by northerners in Lagos which is greatly diminishing the northern esteem to an average notherner based in Lagos. That only northerners were seen roaming the street and begging up and down up to including in front of churches and brothels all over Lagos. The new sardauna promised he was going to try his best and bring in his influence to bear in seeing that he lived up to expectation of northerners in solving their problems.

Not quite 7 days after this epoch welcome which was widely publicised, a Lagos based newspaper most probable from my re-collection THE PUNCH visited Ebutta Metta near the Railway compound popularly called OYINGBO which was the hub and the centre of all northern beggars (kutare da makafi) in Lagos and interviewed their leader, moe so on the request made by the Sarkin Hausawa to the new Sardauna about them. The interview was lengthy but interesting and i will try to summarize some very important aspects of it as follows:

1.  That, northerners based in lagos feel ashame to associate with those of them on the streets and when they see them they take off their faces.

2. That they want northerners to know that, they were in lagos not to get anything from northerners but from the good, loving and caring Yoruba people, who dont despise them but were always in sympathy with them.

3.  That, he the new sardauna should concern himself with his affairs and that he was no where near late Ahmadu Bello and could never be.

4.  That able bodied northerners in Lagos could not show them any thing, since they are able to feed, cloths and shelter their families. Pictures of two beggars (one blind the other lepper) were printed by the newspaper who said, they have children in ABU Zaria whom they sponsor through what they were getting in Lagos.

5. That no amount of machinations by northerners in Lagos could spoil their business and that they have a good time tested relationship with their hosts, the Yoruba which northerners should just leave alone.

The interview was so lengthy and interesting, and i just tried to highlight it so as to give u some insights into the thinking of at least some hard core beggars who have gone beyond northern nigeria.

Dan-Sokoto

[_Waziri_]

Who says for instance, a participant in this discourse may one day not be in a position to make things happen to bring about a change in this menance? For God's sake Waziri, let us try our best and let us know that we have tried our best.

Dan-Sokoto,

Thank you for accepting to adjust to the correct use of the right semantics. I knew if anybody would not do it Dan-Sokoto would certainly not believe I hate only for the simple reason that I correct. Now, you have Almajirai, Qur'anic students who carry bowls from house to house begging for food and other beggers(MABARATA) who are not students but beg.

I suppose the above quote is in reply to the part of my post which expressed maximum pessimism in the exercise of problem solving in Nigeria. To be most precise I do not mean we, as Nigerians or K-onliners are incapable of solving problems at all. But I believe that Nigeria, the structure and composition has always made it impossible for any well meaning soul to record excellence in problem solving exercise. Thus I conclude everything worth saying about this thing has been said and everything worth doing has been done. And we cannot keep looking at the same problem from the same point of view and expect any solution out of it. Needless to say that I did not mean this dicussion must be stopped but it can find more meaning when built only on the insights many others  have provided in the past. A discussion that will prescribe a 1980's solutions to the problem of 2005 cannot mean any progress.

From the onset I think begging not the one by the scholars but the one by the able bodied or lepers and the blind was borne out of the altruistic tendencies inborn in northern-Muslim culture. It is the Qur'an that first say to the Muslims: Wafi amwaalikum hakkunlissa'ili walmahruum ( In your wealth is a portion for those who ask and those that are in need but could not ask).
Also: Wa ammassa'ili fala tanhar ( To those who beg do not scold).

This actually is what makes Northern-Muslims to always be willing givers. It is also the reason why everywhere in Nigeria northerners are known as to very generous people. But the general implication has always been the proliferation of willing accepters in northern Nigeria who will go to places like Lagos in search of those who can give them.

I find it difficult to believe that the interview with those beggers by the PUNCH was not carried in good faith.

First for the always anti-North and pro Yoruba stance of the paper which in several sitioutions found it relevant to tell many lies about Northerners and their leaders.

Second, the interview did not make any effort to solve any problem but to potray a sort of FIGHTING and disagreement between the Northern leaders and the begger population.