Push and Pull Factors of Transnational Street Begging in South Western Nigeria

Abstract

Street begging in Nigeria has traditionally been dominated by indigenous beggars. However, a growing trend in the phenomenon in recent times is the involvement of migrant beggars in streets. Against this background, this paper examined the push and pull factors of transnational street begging in South Western Nigeria. The study was exploratory and cross-sectional in design. Anomie-strain theory was adopted as conceptual framework. Convenience and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select 395 respondents. Survey questionnaire and in-depth interview were the methods of data collection. Transnational street beggars attributed their involvement in street begging to different socio-economic and environmental challenges in their home-countries. Most of them (53.4%) migrated to Nigeria for better opportunity. The Federal Government of Nigeria is urged to put in place a mechanism through which refugees who are genuinely in need can be helped and/or distinguished from migrants who have permanently taken to street begging as their means of livelihood.