The effect of the economic recession is biting harder on citizens even as more working class people in Abuja are taking to “corporate begging” for survival.

With inflation at double digit, the monthly earnings of government workers have lost purchasing power, making the salaries almost worthless.

Findings by Sunday Independent showed that most people, especially civil servants in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), are dumping personal pride and now doing what they won’t naturally do, in times past, to survive the crunch in these days.

Investigation by this newspaper revealed that the number of people lining up the roads begging for “lift” have soared suddenly as most can no longer pay for the increased transport fares to their work places.

It was observed that a large percentage of federal civil servants who live in satellite towns like Gwagwalada, Kubwa, Kwali, Zuba, Bwari and others have now imbibed the culture of staying by the side of the road and ask for free ride to the Federal Secretariat.

It was observed that majority of staffers of most federal government agencies who have cars are also not driving their personal cars to office any longer but now depend on commercial vehicles to go to work.

A check at the staff parking lots of the various ministries at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja showed that the space which usually overflow in the past with exotic cars owned by civil servants, now hardly get filled up on daily basis.

Also most people are now taking to begging to supplement their earnings especially in government offices and the road side.

Some members of staff of the National Assembly who spoke with this newspaper in confidence disclosed that the traffic of persons besieging the National Assembly for one sort of help or another on daily basis have not actually reduced drastically as expected even as the parliamentarians are on holiday.

The parliament is expected to resume next Tuesday.

Independent correspondent personally encountered well-dressed persons in the National Assembly complex begging for financial assistance from persons not really known to them.

•Sourced from Independent. Photo shows Abuja Gate.

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