By Moses Adeniyi
The Lagos State Government (LASG) has on Monday commenced its special operations aimed at getting rid of beggars and destitutes off the State’s metropolis.
The State Government commenced the exercise tagged ”Rescue Operation” by a special team of the Rescue and Rehabilitation Department of it’s Ministry of Youth and Social Development in collaboration with the police, Man O War and other volunteers.
The Special Team on Monday visited major streets and markets in Mushin, Fadeyi, Yaba, Lekki and Sabo areas to rescue beggars destitute and vulnerable people found on streets, under the bridges, uncompleted buildings and other places unfit for human inhabitation.
It will be recalled that Nigerian NewsDirect had last month reported that
the State Government had constituted a special team to launch enforcement operations aimed at sweeping beggars off the streets of its metropolis.
Tbe State’s Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Olusegun Dawodu during a press conference at Ikeja, the State Capital had said “beggars on our streets and roads constitute considerable nuisance to law abiding citizens who are entitled to go about their businesses without any fear or hindrance.”
According to him, “street begging” constitute a man-made obstacle to achieving the desired destination of “A Greater Lagos” vision of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led Administration.
He had mentioned that “as a responsible and responsive government” the administration will not fold its arms watching “the State become a haven for beggars.”
“Street begging is a social vice that we cannot afford to watch attain uncontrollable level before we act. Otherwise, all the good plans and programmes to transform our state would be adversely affected. The same goes for Street Hawking,” he had said.
The Commissioner who said the menace “has become Big Business to some groups of people,” had disclosed that investigation revealed that beggars and hawkers (children and adults) were transported regularly from other parts of the country to Lagos.
“These groups of people have turned alms begging and hawking into a huge Business by collecting returns from beggars and hawkers, who incidentally, sleep under the bridges, motor parks, uncompleted or abandoned buildings and other places not conducive for human habitation,” he had said.
Dawodu who mentioned that their activities on the streets impede human movement and vehicular traffic, environmental nuisance and worst still, security threats, had said “intelligence reports have revealed that some of the so-called beggars go about with dangerous weapons, they assault and rob innocent Lagosians.”
“Therefore, as a Government, we cannot afford to let this continue. If there is ever a time for us to roll up our sleeves and toil day and night for this menace to be confined to the dustbin of history in Lagos State, it is now,” he said.
Speaking on the strategies of the team, he said “to tackle this menace, the Lagos State Government through the Rehabilitation and Child Development Departments of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development has maintained a Rescue Unit saddled with the responsibility of rescuing and protecting the destitute and the vulnerable.
“This we do by combing the nooks and crannies of Lagos State to rescue and protect the destitute, mentally – challenged, street children and beggars off the streets; and after being rescued, Our Rehabilitation Centres and Child friendly Homes usually provide them with treatment, psychosocial therapy and vocational training with the aim of making them useful to themselves and the society.”
He had mentioned that in embarking on the enforcement, the State Government “will also deploy a lot of human and material resources towards enlightenment and sensitization.”
On Monday, Head of Rehabilitation and Rescue Department, Mrs Olutoyin Jaiyeola, disclosed that about 128 persons (Male and Female) which included mentally challenged persons, destitute and beggars had been rescued by the team from different areas of the State.