Abstract

Despite the concerted efforts of scholars, government, media and general public to tackle the problem of begging in Nigerian society, the problem seems intractable especially in our cities. Against this background, this study examines begging from different social perspectives and discovered that the problem of begging is multidimensional. The study also observed that past research exercises on the subject matter could not achieve much because it lacks focus on the social forces behind begging. This study therefore provides sociological foundation for future research on the problem of begging in Nigerian cities.

Key words: Begging, poverty, social deviance, urban ecology, anomie.