Posted by By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Bola Owolabi on
THE Lagos State Government in its drive to rid the streets of the metropolis of destitutes has evacuated a total number of 197 destitutes including about 57 children and 28 lunatics in its on-going clampdown on destitutes in the state even as it called on corporate bodies, individuals to assist in providing the necessary logistics and finance to make the rehabilitation process a success.
THE Lagos State Government in its drive to rid the streets of the metropolis of destitutes has evacuated a total number of 197 destitutes including about 57 children and 28 lunatics in its on-going clampdown on destitutes in the state even as it called on corporate bodies, individuals to assist in providing the necessary logistics and finance to make the rehabilitation process a success.
During one of the exercises which took place at Victoria Island, Ikeja and Maryland led by the state Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele witnessed the arrest of 49 destitutes, at Victoria Island which included children, beggars and mentally derailed people.
At Ikeja and Maryland, no fewer than 32 destitutes were arrested. All the 81 destitutes arrested have been taken to the rehabilitation centre Majidun, Ikorodu, while two, however, escaped.
The clampdown on destitutes in the state, according to Mr. Bamidele, was in a bid to rehabilitate them by the state government so that they could be useful to the society instead of constituting nuisance, while some would be repatriated to their states and countries.
Addressing newsmen at the end of the exercise on Tuesday, which witnessed about 81 destitutes evacuated, Mr. Bamidele expressed satisfaction with the progress made so far and called for assistance from the private sector to make the programme an overall success.
According to him, the government alone could not shoulder the responsibilities of rehabilitating the destitutes, saying that he wanted to see a situation where corporate bodies would come in to assist by donating buses for the clampdown on destitutes.
Mr. Bamidele stated that the state government was determined to sustain the exercise until destitutes were gotten rid of in the state and trained to be useful instead for begging alms.
The commissioner stressed that the battle was not against the less privileged in the society but against barons, who sent the beggars into the streets to beg for alms, while they deliver returns to the syndicates on daily basis.
Mr. Bamidele explained that at the rehabilitation centres the children, beggars and lunatics would be sorted and screened before the rehabilitation proper would commence.
He said while the children would be taken to day care centres to be educated, the lunatics would be taken to the asylum and the beggars trained in vocational jobs to acquire the necessary skills that would help them in the nearest future.
The commissioner added that Lagos residents were happy on what the government is doing, saying that, "we are not doing this so that people can clap for us. It is all about discharging our duties."