From Abeokuta to Lagos, to Ibadan,
particularly Iwo Road (a connecting road in and out of South Western
Nigeria), bodies ridden with serious health problems and ailments—some
with jaw-breaking nomenclatures...which should be restricted to a health
asylum or facility, are displayed in public space like wares to court
the sympathies of the public. At motor parks, men and women with such
disturbing ailments compete with one another by displaying and
auctioning them for sympathies and consequently monetary gains. You dole
out a small amount of money to one and others besiege you in droves.That was not the case in the 1990s. The
industry was largely dominated arguably by northerners, particularly
blind women, whom, we were told, were victims of violent sandy wind in
Northern Nigeria. In fact, I grew accustomed to seeing them that I
learnt from my father to tell them Allah ba mu sa’a (which can be
translated to mean, God will provide) when there is nothing to give
them. However, the industry has undergone a meteoric transformation such
that it has accommodated the aged, the crippled, the maimed and the
amputee, the able-bodied, self-acclaimed representatives of some unknown
and unregistered motherless children homes, the deaf and dumb,
self-confessing female adherents of a Yoruba goddess, among other
industry players and shakers. Interestingly, it has attracted foreigners
too!An industry player, a man in his 30s,
whose head should be the primary concern of plastic surgeons—obviously,
his scalp narrowly survived an inferno—approached a bus en route to
Oshodi in Lagos and plugged his pathetic concerns with sonorous songs,
and prayers on the commuters eagerly heading towards different
destinations. Like an obligation to which the commuters have been
mandated, zips of purses and handbags began screeching, and hands dipped
and dug into pockets. In no time, different small denominations
converged on his hands.
A number of the industry players are
pushed and hawked in wheelbarrows, wheelchairs or carts. Their sector of
the industry is however laden with some challenges. Some of which have
been featured in some Nigerian dailies. Chief among these challenges is
the claim that those who push them around milk them of the proceeds
made. Such is the irony! Their vulnerabilities are exploited by the
able-bodied men and women responsible for their mobility. Little wonder
these able-bodied individuals go about pushing them diligently in
scorching temperatures sometimes exceeding 360C!
There are those who have specific
locations near markets and religious centres. There are also some with
tentative locations such as long traffic congestion. Those in Ile-Ife,
Osun State, for instance, are usually found congregated at the city’s
main market. They are largely Northerners but they are shrewd and
innovative with their proceeds. After the day’s business, they neatly
arrange the money made in different denominations awaiting their
patrons. These are mostly cab drivers and commercial motorcyclists who
need small naira notes to ease transactions with commuters, and church
goers who need small naira denominations for the many thanksgiving and
special thanksgiving offerings on first and last Sundays of the month,
and special anniversaries. They have perfected the art of profiting from
this transaction, what with the managerial dexterity of the
coordinator. Depending on the amount involved, 10 or 20 per cent
interest is charged. Such is the innovation the industry has witnessed.
Interestingly, the unprecedented growth
of the industry has attracted foreigners from neighbouring countries
like Niger Republic. They are mostly seen in Ibadan, West Africa’s
largest city. They have perfected the art by using their children to
hawk favour in return for money. Some of these kids are desperate,
stubborn, and parasitic in their quest. They latch on to the clothes of
passers-by who are adamant to part with at least a paltry sum. Some of
them wouldn’t leave their victim(s) until they are threatened. One
adamant frustrated victim had said to one of them, “I’ve got a gun on
me” before he was let go. To say some of these kids would have been
victims of ritual killers or rapists is to say the least. That is just
one of the hazards of this growing industry.
More amazing is the fact that some of
the industry players now dictate or influence what they want to receive
from their patrons. They now consider themselves undeserving of N5 or
N10. In some instances, they frown on being given N20. The factor
responsible for this may be the plummeting purchasing power of the
naira. That is not to deny that a number of them have daily targets they
set out to meet.
With the boom being witnessed in the
industry, the industry may not eclipse any time soon because of the
present economic recession and extreme religious beliefs and practices
in certain quarters. And with some successes that the industry have
reportedly afforded the stakeholders: some being able to keep more than
one wife; build a house; afford daily necessities, etc., it may have
come to stay.
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