- Street beggars and traditional praise singers in Kano State, have lamented over the new naira notes policy, saying it has affected their income as people have no cash to give them.
They noted that their benefactors lamented lack of cash and sometimes asked them if they had a Point of Sale (POS) machine, which they agreed to get in group.
While the beggars said they did not get a quarter of what they used to get in a month, the traditional praise singers lamented that after praising people at weddings, political functions and other occasions they were asked to provide account numbers for their fees, which most of them said they didn’t have.
Speaking to City & Crime in Singer Market, a beggar, Jamila Umar, said since the new naira policy started, they didn’t get a quarter of what they used to get in a day.
Jamila noted that, “With begging, I feed myself and my grandchildren. They are orphans and I have nothing but begging.
“But since the policy started, I can tell you that I don’t get a quarter of what I used to get. Only a few people give us food items and other valuables. But many are saying they don’t have cash.”
Speaking in a radio programme, a leader of the praise singers, Alhassan Sankira Panshekara, said: “We do not blame any person on this policy, but honestly it has affected not only us praise singers, but our families too. Some of us have account numbers, but the network is our problem. That is why we have to get our own POS.”
