STREET BEGGING: A DEVALUATION OF IGBO HUMANISM

Abstract

The trend of street begging has become a global phenomenon plaguing both the developed and developing countries of the world; notwithstanding it's prevalence in the third world countries where there is acute dearth of social welfare and social support system that cater for the needs of the poor, the aged, the sick, the physically challenged, the less privileged and the downtrodden. The upsurge in the number of street beggars has been attributed to poverty, culture, religion etc. by scholars. The people of Nigeria and the Igbo in particular are not an exception to the universal trend of begging on the street. Major cities and towns in Nigeria are fraught with beggars from across the country. Street begging is viewed differently by people of different cultural, religious background and schools of thought. For the functionalists, street begging helps religious adherents to fulfill their religious obligation of practicing piety. Some scholars see it as a socio-cultural and security threat, an eyesore and a nuisance. For the traditional Igbo people, street begging is a taboo. In Igbo philosophy of humanism, it is considered demeaning for a man to beg. The human person is gifted with intelligence and everything needed to struggle and earn a living. Begging is a sign of failure and weakness. It undermines the Igbo sense of communal living. This essay, therefore, is concerned with the explication of the ways in which street begging constitutes a devaluation of Igbo Humanism.