Issues
Begging As Means Of Livelihood
The major fallout of the COVID -19 pandemic is the desperate quest for survival. Various strategies have been deployed by the people to make ends meet.
There is a compelling need for survival at all costs and begging offers to be a way out to ward off hunger and discomfort. Both the able and disabled, the sane and insane, and plain lazy people now involve in begging as a way of life.
Port Harcourt and its environs are crammed with different types of beggars. As part of measures of perfecting the acts of begging, some able-bodied people now bring their deformed relatives from the village to the city to beg while they play the roles of guards along the high ways.
They approach motorists and other passers-by on behalf of the invalids whose pathetic situations are expected to draw deserving sympathy to attract alms.
Perhaps, they use the proceeds from the begging for their own upkeep and that of the invalids. There is another set of corporate beggars who dress smartly and stand at strategic positions in the city, soliciting for transport fare from passers-by but use the money for their upkeep.
The concept seems absurd but it is a way of life, a regular chain of activity designed to keep body and soul together. This class of beggars are very clever and always on the alert.
When it becomes obvious that their tricks are about to be exposed, they move to another location where their faces are relatively new. They are very calculative in their deception.
Some beggars also disguise as deaf and dumb, or feign themselves as having deep festering wounds to make themselves incapacitated enough to attract sympathies. They cover particular parts of their bodies with copious cotton wool soaked with red colours to trick the public into the illusion that they are indisposed and make their gimmicks look real and believable. There are also an intruding band of foreigners with children who throng our cities hibernating under the dark covers of the cities and sending their children out to beg for alms, the barefooted, hair tangled, vulnerable children roam the streets for alms to feed their families.
They cling to passers-by and refuse to depart unless something exchanges hands. The children sing songs of adulation to the expectant giver and are either given the alms or are simply rebuffed while their docile parents watch from a safe distance with calm and ease, yet, cautiously, only calling the attention of the begging children when the encounter becomes unproductive or for fear that the children could be spirited away. But there is always an unusual boldness on the part of the children.
There are also some groups of women and children that cluster around strategic locations in the city with their bowls which serve them in dual capacity: alms begging and eating of their improvised meals. They cuddle together in their poodle with lines of strain and fatigue etched on their faces, yet, there is no iota of disaffection among them.
Their sordid conditions expose the negligence or sheer indifference of the authorities to social welfare planning and border surveillance which allow the influx of majority of the beggars who are foreigners. The streets are also besieged with individuals using the names of non- existing orphanages and charity homes to beg for alms. They stand at strategic positions and intimate their potential benefactors on the need to contribute to charity and they display T-shirts with vague descriptions of their objectives to gain attention.
Interestingly, there is another emerging class of beggars in town which can best be classified as the soul mate beggars.
Gaunt, glassy-eyed and passionless, they crouch in the heat straggling behind one another in a single file, hungry and diseased. Their destination is mostly in the cities were they scout around for alms, attracting sympathies as well as the odiom of the teeming residents. Their true identities are relatively unknown and their emotional stability is in clear doubt. They conjure images of mental maladjustment and emotional imbalance. Their freakish behaviours expose every clue to the defence of their sanity. They are soul mates united in their zeal and determination to keep body and soul together through begging as a way of life.
In their apparent sense of physical and psychological discomfiture, they devise measures of appealing to their benefactors. Their leader, a tattered muscular man with overgrown hair, directs them on their city prowls. Like a club of men and women of emotional imbalance, they trudge on in an exhibitionist orgy, dancing to the tunes of the metals in their hands which also serve as containers to collect the alms.
Their improvised musical instruments, emit stacoco sounds in monotonous rhythm. They move around to shops and business premises where they linger for a while as the leader puts forth the container to the expected giver until he or she complies. If there is no positive response from the expected giver, they do not protest but make a U- turn and randomly approach other passers-by or simply move on playing their music.
The soul mate beggars comprise a mixture of men and women including teenagers. They are haggardly dressed and some of them look like drug addicts that have metamorphosed into full blown lunatics. Some appear like escapee inmates from psychiatric homes while some look like people coming out newly from prison to seek rehabilitation. Some might as well be people who migrate from various communities and neighbouring states out of frustration into the city of Port Harcourt in search of better living conditions but are further confronted with failed expectations.
Apart from those that manifest obvious signs of mental derangement, there are some persons who seem to be psychologically twisted by poverty and harsh economic realities without any option than to join the club of beggars. The physical discomfiture of the mendicants adds to their pitiable plights and portrays them as a brotherhood battling to sustain the tempo of their newly found fraternity. Their line of business exists strictly on public discretion and benevolence.
Another enigmatic posture of the new beggars club is how they convene for a day’s expedition. They vaguely settle in shacks at different locations in Port Harcourt but easily converge in their numbers at business time. There seems to be mystery behind their mode of operation which draws them together in an inexplicable way. Many believe that the beggars act under the hypnotism of some greedy business merchants to whom they make returns from their begging sprees. This may as well account for why some people especially shop owners and other private business operators refuse to give alms to the soul mate beggars. They fear that their businesses will liquidate as the money given to the beggars will fizzle away the ones they already have in custody.
Government and stakeholders’ intervention is needed to rekindle hope and foster rehabilitation for this particular class of beggars rather than making them more vulnerable to grave dangers.
Taneh Beemene
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
