Scavengers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Saturday said that they are not thieves as believed in some quarters.
They told journalists that they don’t steal residents items but only earn a living by picking waste products which they value and get paid for it.
Some of them, found at dumpsites at Karon-majigi area, where they turn out in their numbers to pick waste, said the society needed to change this wrong perception.
A scavenger is a person who picks items from dumpsites mainly for the purpose of recycling for personal use or sale.
In Nigeria, they are popularly referred to as Bola Bola, Gon-Gon, Mai Bola or Baban Bola.
A visit to Karon-majigi community showed that dumpsites on daily basis are transformed to treasure mines as both young and old men depends on it for a living.
Mr Nasir Sani, a scavenger for two years, revealed that he picks nails, bottles, plastics but he mainly picks metal products as he earns more from nails than other waste…
