By Ademu Idakwo, Lokoja.
Sadiya who claimed to be a Hausa Lady from Kano State in Northern Nigeria was spotted in Lokoja, Kogi State among the street beggars known as Almajiris struggling to get the attention of people coming around to give alms.
It is a pathetic sight as she was hugging the baby on the chest struggling with the little ones in the oldest Profession in the Northern Nigeria which every successful Government has failed to bring to an end.
This Profession like Prostitution as old as it is in the world can never be accepted to be a decent way of living because it is against human dignity .
Sadiya is not alone in this situation as thousands of this people are seeing roaming the streets of Northern Nigeria without concerted efforts to put them off the street.
The baby in her hand was not having proper care as she looked very sickly and unkempt due to hardship that the condition of her mum have subjected her to .
When I tried to speak with her, she initially declined comments as she was not sure of my intention, probably she may be afraid of so many things the experience of living on the streets may have subjected her to in the past.
When I pressed further with the aid of a local guide who served as an intermediary between us she then volunteered some words out of her .
In a quest to know why she is on the street begging for alms and she said that is her source of living because she has no any other job apart from begging adding that the trade has taken her to many states of the Northern Nigeria .
On how she feel living in this trade why there are many meaningful things to learn and survived on it, Sadiya disclosed that she has no help from any one to learn a trade stressing that it has been her ambition to be a tailor if she has the opportunity.
Probing further to know the father of the Child and why did he allowed her and the baby to be on the streets seeking for alms, her response was not without a pain when looking into her eyes as she looked some how reluctant in responding to the question .
After few minutes of silent she obliged to answer the question.
She said she parted with the man immediately she took in as the man abandoned her with pregnancy and never come back to ask for her .
Recalling with regret Sadiya said the baby is three years now and the man who left them in a village called Bakinkogi in Madobi Local Government Area in Kano State never look back till date.
How she and the man met? The lady disclosed that they met at the village where she came to visit her Aunt but the woman later died and she decided to inherit the woman’s water Well where she was selling water to sustain herself and the man used to come there to fetch water for sale as water hawker popularly known as mai Ruwa in the Northern States.
She said she was lured into sex with gifts items the man was sending to her on daily basis and was not very conscious what was on the man‘s mind .
At first according to her, she thought it was a kind gesture until when she started falling uncontrollably in love with the man and the worst happened which later resulted to pregnancy.
Sadiya said she lost her parents when she was 14 years , making her to start fending for her self so early without any formal education .
She also disclosed she is feeding herself and the child from the alms people gave to her adding that as at now few people can afford to give them alms due to prevailing hardship in the country.
She stressed that the patronage is so low recently adding that she will stay a whole day without getting a dime nor foods stuff from any one unlike last year when she came to Lokoja.
She explained that the situation may force her to relocate to Suleja in Niger State where she thought may be better for her to ply her trade.
Her future plan, according to the 26 year old Sadiya is to take her child back home to enable her learn Islamic studies so that she will have the knowledge about God.
Whether the girl will go for formal Education the answer was No as there is no money and education is not free in their state.
This brings to mind that Government at all levels should expedite actions to pick this vulnerable people from the streets by rehabilitating them and engage them in meaningful ventures .
This in turn may go along way to reduce security challenges as most people responsible for restfulness in most part of the country may be off springs of the disadvantaged persons in the society who were not properly gathered for by the government and the society.
