ANALYSIS OF THE LIVING CONDITIONS OF STREET BEGGARS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA.

MAIWADA, A.*, MAMMAN, M., LAAH, J.G. AND YUSUF, R.O.

This paper analyzed the living conditions of street beggars in Kaduna State. Primary data for this paper were obtained through questionnaire survey, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and In-depth Interviews (IDIs). Convenience sampling technique was used to select respondents for administration of questionnaire. Three hundred and sixteen (316) street beggars were sampled from strategic begging locations in the study area. Frequency tables were used to analyze the data collected through questionnaire survey using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20 while data from the FGDs and IDIs were analyzed according to themes and content. The findings revealed that 60.7% of the respondents received all form of alms consisting food, money and material items from the people. The street beggars’ major expense was on food and feeding which accounted for 98.4%. Street beggars claimed to have access to potable drinking water which was sourced often through hand dug wells. Malaria (58.6%) was the most common ailment associated with the beggars. Medical treatment was often sought by 65.8% of the beggars any time they fall sick and 55% of the beggars agreed to not always able to afford their medical bills. Rented apartments (55.4%) and personal houses (22.3%) were the commonest accommodation types among the street beggars which were mostly constructed with mud (76.3%). About 76% of the respondents have pit latrine in their places of residence while 21% practice open defecation. The paper therefore recommends that government should renovate existing rehabilitation centres and establish more where street beggars should be trained in vocational skills.

Key words: Kaduna State, Living conditions, Street beggars.