Intensifying cost of living crisis in Africa’s biggest economy is hitting hard on beggars as benevolent support from individuals and organisation’s continues to shrinks, BusinessDay findings shows.
BusinessDay spoke with people with beggars in Ketu, Agege, Mushin, Apapa, and Berger who said that the rate at which they receive support from I ndividuals and organisations have declined, attributing it to the country’s inflationary economy that is amplifying a cost of living crisis.
“We usually have a particular church that comes every Sunday to distribute food and toiletries but we haven’t seen them for almost five months now,” Musa Idris a disabled beggar, said.
“I think it is because of the constant surge in the prices of everything that is making things hard for everybody in Nigeria. So, the churches cannot afford to give us support like before,” Idris stated.
He noted that even individuals have reduced their benevolent support towards them while some have drastically reduced the support they usually provide for people with disability.
Mariam Mohammed, a beggar along Mile 12 –Ketu road said the support she gets daily from passersby has drastically reduced as many people are also struggling to feed owing to the surge in food prices.
Read also: How unemployed Nigerians are coping with rising cost of living
There is hardly a day that we don’t get much support from people but now there are times we won’t even get any at all, she said.
“When I send my children out to beg, they come back to tell me that people are not giving them anything. Things are getting harder for everybody and this is why people are not giving like before,” she said.
She called on the government to come to their aid, noting that hunger is dealing badly with people with disabilities.
Despite inflation accelerating and hunger, the federal government has failed to provide any form of safety support for individuals or businesses.
Nigeria’s Inflation has accelerated to 24.08 percent in July, a new 17-year high, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, with it set to go even higher if the Nigerian government fails to act on soaring food, and fuel scarcity, analysts say.
Africa’s biggest economy has been grappling with double monthly digit inflation since 2016.
The situation is making Nigerians face increasing pressures daily and forcing them to make hard choices as prices of all products continue to rise amid dwindling income.
Read also: Inflation pressure heightens Nigerians cost of living
“These people can’t afford to feed themselves and the cost of living crisis is making living more difficult for them,” said Rosa Daniel, manager of Cedar Seed Foundation in a response to questions.
“There is a serious decline in the support we are providing for people with disabilities because we are also experiencing a decline in support from donors and individuals,” Daniel said.
She urged the federal government to provide support for people with disability amid surging prices, noting that children are hardest hit by the consequences.
The World Bank, in its latest Nigeria Development Update report for June 2023, said the loss of purchasing power from high inflation has increased poverty in the short term, pushing an estimated four million Nigerians into poverty between January – May 2023.
The global bank estimates based on the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data show that 89.8 million Nigerians fell below the poverty line at the start of 2023, with an additional four million making it 93.8 million in May of 2023.
“We can’t even afford to feed any longer. The number of people helping us is decreasing daily and the little we have can’t even buy enough for us to feed,” a disabled beggar along Oshodi – Mushin road who gave his name as Musa said.
