BEGGARS TAKEOVER ACCRA

…Harass pedestrians on streets

Special report: Abena Obenewaa Amrado, Intern, GIJ

Reports indicate that pedestrians in the capital city are angry at the mayor of Accra and have sworn heaven and earth to deal seriously with him and his task force.

The source of the bitterness, the paper learnt, is as a result of what pedestrians described as “the unwillingness and the inability” of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), led by Dr. Alfred Vanderpujie, to rid the city of beggars and lunatics.

“We are angry at the way beggars have taken over the streets of Accra…we are not even allowed a breathing space when walking on the pavements”, Carl Tetteh Nartey, a pedestrian expressed his frustrations.

According to Carl, he could not fathom why the AMA would not deal with the situation, which he observed, is fast becoming a nuisance, but had decided to chase out “people in their right senses who have decided to make a living by selling on pavements.”

“Why won’t he chase the beggars and the madmen away instead of the sane ones?” he queried.
Today investigations revealed that the number of beggars, who migrate from other parts of the country to Accra, have hit an all-time high hampering the free movement of people and goods.
Assorted beggars including lunatics, hunch backs, the blind and the lame have all taken over the streets of the capital in search of a daily bread.

It was also uncovered in the course of our investigations that occasionally, there are people who also fake sickness in an attempt to win the sympathy of pedestrians, who would in turn offer them money or other valuable items.
Meanwhile, a beggar who pleaded anonymity told this reporter that he was in the ‘business’ to make a living since his family had abandoned him.

“I am here because if I don’t beg I can’t survive- my entire family lives in Kumasi and no one cares,” the beggar said.
What is worse, according to reports, is the presence of foreigners particularly from Chad, Madagascar and Niger, who have also decided to beg for alms to feed themselves and their families.

These foreigners, whom most of them are illegal immigrants, some pedestrians disclosed, are the most irritating, as they usually pester people for money.

“They create a scene to attract sympathizers to their cause so as to compel pedestrians whom they often hold firmly to give whatever they have to them. And they instead use their children to that” revealed, a senior high student who gave his name as Ekow Mensah.

Against this background, some residents of Accra appealed to the AMA to institute measures to address the problem so as to help free the streets of beggars.

“Our humble appeal is that the AMA task force should also tackle this menace because it has the potential of driving tourists and investors out of the country”, Ekow added.