Good Samaritans in Ibadan are a dying breed. They’re almost extinct. Reason is because they’ve had their fingers burnt time and again. Ibadan is blessed (or should it be a curse?) with an abundance of opportunities to utilize your milk of human kindness. I bet you can’t go a day without seeing a challenged individual, a stranded man, or a hungry teenager reaching out to you. But countless tales have proven that these are con men, out to earn their daily bread off you. A more annoying one are those special cases of people who have touching stories. Away from the usual ‘I lost my transport fare, or my wallet disappeared in my sleep”, to the religious ones like “God sent me to rip you off, or I got a revelation that if you sow a seed, you’ll get a call from Obasanjo today” , down to the guilt-fuelled confusing ones such as ‘My dad has long-throatitis and cerebral jagwintulatitis” or still, the more daring and creative ones ‘If you don’t help me, my daughter’s dog’s father will be killed by terrorists’. Sounds funny, but this is damn real. For me, I give when I’m led by the ‘spirit’, (whatever that means), but sometimes the spirit still leads me wrong, and I get duped. Time and again I’ve fallen, and time and again I’ve lost a bit of compassion. It’s unfair, to the Samaritans, and also to the original dying folk in genuine need for alms. Ibadan is awash with all sorts, and the goodness in Samaritans keep being eroded by the dupes. With each false alm I give, a part of the goodness in me gets lost, and it’s hard to regain the trust in your kindness when you do lose it. I’m wiser now, and being wise means less charity, but then… This is Ibadan, where beggars flood the streets.
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 06:09:18 +0000
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