Some call them kongis, others called them baban bola, (not Bola as in Yoruba), they are also known as obu ngwogwo in Igbo language while they call them scavengers in English. But these guys have not been considered for anything even though they risk their lives just to get a means of livelihood and not to be another ‘disaster’ to the nation. ANTHONY ADA ABRAHAM takes a look at their plight.
In recent times, a lot of Nigeria citizens have not felt the dividend of democracy.? With what is happening in the country today, Nigerians have been taking their destiny in their hands and Abubakar is not an exception.
Though, a lot of them might be called waste pickers, known as those who salvage reusable or recyclable materials thrown away by others to sell or for personal consumption.? There are millions of waste pickers worldwide, predominately in developing countries, and Nigeria is not an exception.
Though waste picking has been in practice for ages now, but modern way of waste picking started during industrialisation in the nineteenth century. Over the past half-century, waste picking has expanded vastly in the developing world due to urbanisation.
In Nigeria especially Lagos, truck load of empty cans, bottles, metals, coppers and other, plastics and other recyclable materials are transported to various parts of the country.
When LEADERSHIP INTERVAL accosted one of the boys, Abubakar he was remorseful and look pitiable. From his look, you will instantly know that it is circumstances that forced him into Kogi job.
When asked if he has the intention of leaving the job, he looked as if someone is trying take away his only means of livelihood and said: ‘I no get any work wey I dey do but if God bring another job I go do am. But for now I no go stop. You go dey pay me?’
‘Though they are fighting hard to at least get a source of lively hood, I see them as people who don’t want to steal that is why they do what they are doing . But I don’t trust some of them because they go beyond this to steal from people. They could pretend to be baban bola, later enter your compound and pick anything they see. But I still believe they can do other job if government provide for them,’ he said.
Meanwhile, a lady who simply wants to be identified as Ngozi, believed that if they could do such job by picking up materials to be refined, then the government have to support them.
‘I tell you if they are not well taken care of, these are the people that later when they are offered money to perpetuate crime they do it because that is the only means they could get such an amount.’
She called on the government to look into their plight so that things could get better for them.
But some residents of Abuja have decried the level whereby some of the Baban Bolas indulge in vices in the pretext of scavenging the dustbin.