BEGGING As An Occupation In Nigeria

This is me literally when someone calls me, I'm trying to be give them attention and then the person starts with this story of how he has a medical condition and he needs money for an operation, or maybe money for school project, or even transport money from here to there.

It is ridiculous how some people, both old and young have devised an alternative method of extorting money from kind and charitable people by giving them fables and making them even sympathise with them. It has become so rampart and their new method is internet begging. Different people use different methods. Some of them request for specific amounts while some just tell you "what they need the money for" and beg you to help with any amount. When you begin to hear stories like:

1. Please my XYZ is battling with his/her life at the hospital and the doctors have said blah blah blah

2. My children haven't had anything to eat all day, please help.

3. I am stranded, I'm still going all the way to ABC, I was robbed/I misplaced my wallet please help me. All I need is #500 to get to my destination.

4. Please help, I'll need #2500 for project. I'm a final year student of MNO university and I'm currently doing my project......

5.I am deaf and dumb please help me with any amount ......... and many more like that please beware.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that some of these people aren't genuine, or that it is not good to "help" these people however many of them have abused the generosity and kindheartedness of people. I'm still yet to understand why a complete human being will think it is right to walk to someone with a fake doctor's report claiming that they or a relative has a medical condition (when they're all in sound health) all in the name of begging. Or why they'll go online and start commenting on people's post to beg for money. It is so ridiculous!

The annoying part is that when people advice them on a more respectable "career" choice they suddenly drift from a sympathetic wet puppy to a very violent tiger. They begin to rain insults and curses on you. Some of these "glorified" beggars now have a routine. There are some people that will tell the same story for almost a year. Apparently, some of them change their profile after they have received donations from a couple of people but a few others really do not care they just carry on doing their business and recite their anthem every time.

Some of them even play disabled and beg on the streets and at car parks. For some their strategy is to search online posts with very high engagements (comments especially) and comment their fabricated predicament. Whatever the methods they've devised are, IT HAS TO STOP!!!!!!! "Glorified" beggars are not different from 419ers, scammers, yahoo boys/girls.

At my former place of work, we opened a new outlet and a number of old staff were deployed there. Shortly after the opening different people...... Boy, girl, young and old would come in, not to patronize us but to extort money from us after telling some pathetic story. There was this particular guy that came in, asked for paper and Biro, wrote down that he's dumb. We all had pity on him. He then said he's travelling to Ilorin to meet his family as he couldn't get a job in Lagos but his challenge is lack of money to transport himself back. We wrote back, asking how much he needed and he said #2500 which was coincidentally the fare charge at the bus park at Berger so we believed his story. A few of us contributed and gave him the money. He wrote a letter of appreciation and we were impressed. We felt so sorry for him. However to my greatest shock this same guy walks in few months later with this exact format and I just told my colleagues (those that weren't around when he came the first time) that he was a liar and one if those silly storytelling beggars. I narrated his first ordeal with us and that was exactly what he did again. This time we wrote a note back to him that  we're sorry we can't help this time as there's no money.

Who came up with this idea? I mean, who started this thing? Building a career off begging.... You're lying, playing on people's intelligence, cheating people of their own hard earned money and you think you're smart?

People like Tunde Ednut have taken it upon themselves to stop these people by taking a screenshot of their post or DM to him and posting it for the general public to see. Maybe with this they'll be embarrassed and get  a life. Yes the economy is hard, don't make it harder with your own selfishness and stupidity.

Till me meet again. I remain your lovely gist partner

Ore Sho.