Proposed Ban on Street Begging in Southwest Nigeria?

Proposed Ban on Street Begging in Southwest Nigeria?

I love beggars

Beggars are your best friends

Everywhere you turn on the streets of southwest Nigeria,

beggars have occupied the pathways:

beggars on the floor, crawling toward you;

beggars limping;

beggars pretending to limp;

beggars who are wild,

beggars who are mild,

beggars who are tall,

beggars who are short,

beggars who are fat,

beggars who are thin,

beggars who are light,

beggars who are dark,

beggars who are blind;

beggars pretending to be blind;

beggars who are deaf;

beggars pretending to be deaf.

beggars manning street junction;

beggars lining the sides of the road,

beggars on the bridges;

beggars at the crossroads;

beggars at all intersections;

beggars trying to cross the road;

beggars blocking the way;

beggars on the hills;

beggars down the valleys;

beggars downtown;

beggars uptown;

beggars in the shanties;

beggars in the pantries;

beggars at the marketplaces;

beggars at the school gates;

beggars at the hospitals;

beggars at the churches:

beggars at the mosques;

beggars at the shrines;

beggars at the restaurants;

beggars at the parties;

beggars at weddings;

beggars with cellphones

beggars with laptops;

beggars led by children attending schools;

beggars led by children not attending school;

beggars accompanied by able-bodied people;

beggars accompanied by disabled bodies

beggars using homebuilt contraptions;

beggars on automobile engines;

beggars dressed in tattered clothes;

beggars attired in clean robes;

beggars who are kids;

beggars who are aged;

beggars who are male;

beggars who are females;

beggars who look neat and beautiful;

beggars who look dirty and unsightly;

beggars who are unkempt;

beggars who look tidy;

beggars walking alone;

beggars walking in groups;

beggars balancing loads on their heads;

beggars with backpacks;

beggars with children on their backs;

beggars with suckling infants;

beggars smiling at you;

beggars frowning at you;

beggars who are friendly:

beggars who are hostile:

beggars carrying walking sticks;

beggars without walking sticks;

beggars begging fulltime;

beggars begging part-time;

beggars who are hustlers;

beggars who are rustlers;

beggars who are alcoholics;

beggars who are teetotalers;

beggars who sniff powders;

beggars who sniff canisters;

beggars who love burghers;

beggars who love suyas;

Where are these beggars in SW Nigeria from?

Mostly from northern Nigeria.

Northern folks got the news:

“Southwestern Nigerians are suckers for beggars.”

Travelers have informed them:

“It is lucrative to beg in SW Nigeria.”

We love beggars in our southern cities:

we adore beggars in our southern towns;

beggars keep our streets dirty

that is why we love them

Leave our cities and towns for the street beggars.

Don’t make begging illegal in southwest Nigeria.

Don’t make southwest Nigeria streets beggars-free;

Don’t make southwest Nigerians hostile to beggars;

let beggars flood our beaches

let beggars fill our airports

let beggars pour into our homes

let beggars fill our kitchens;

let beggars take over our porches;

let beggars sleep on our beds;

let beggars date our daughters;

let beggars marry our sons;

let beggars breed more beggars;

let beggars take our partners.

We south-westerners need our beggars;

more than our beggars need us;

Please don’t take our beggars away from us

Don’t make our beggars mad at us.

Don’t pass legislation banning street begging in SW Nigeria.

Because we love our northern beggars,

for keeping our streets ugly and dirty.

Stop the law to ban street begging

for blessed are those that beg on our streets.