With the economic crunch across the country, beggars in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, have described their condition of living as terrible and unbearable due to the decline of assistance from members of the public.
The beggars called on the State and the Federal Government to find meaningful solutions to the current social and economic challenges facing the country.
A beggar at the popular old market in Lokoja, who identified himself as Malam Abubakar Alli, alms business is no longer fetching enough money to feed.
”Few years back, I could boast of making N1,500 to N2,000 a day from begging, but for the past year or so, I hardly make up to half of that amount,” Alli said.
Another beggar, Mohammed Adamu, said it has become very difficult to cope with life due to diminishing earnings from begging.
“We cannot engage in meaningful physical work that can bring money to our pocket.
“As persons with disabilities, we depend solely on other members of the society.
“What they keep on telling us is that they are also feeling the negative impact of the bad economy. We are dying of hunger. Where do we go from here?” he queried.
Among foodstuffs that have their prices shoot up in the Lokoja market are rice, beans, noodles, semolina, meat, tomato, pepper, onion, maize, corn, fruits, groundnut, and palm oils, this might be connected with the high cost of transportation and other social services due to the removal of fuel subsidy by President Tinubu in 2023.
