Underage Beggars: Lagos State Says Enforcement Should Not Be Driven by Emotion in Response to Tacha

Tokunbo Wahab, the state commissioner for environment and water resources in Lagos, has reacted to reality TV star Tacha’s criticism of the arrest of young street vendors.
According to reports, Wahab posted a video on Wednesday that captured the moment when men from the state’s environmental taskforce apprehended a young beggar.

Tacha responded by denouncing the development and claiming that the administration had let the kids down.

She contended that the government should set up appropriate vocational centers with boarding facilities that teach useful skills like shoe-making, design, photography, and videography rather than detaining the children.

In response to her social media post, Wahab emphasized that the government had no obligation to raise uncooperative kids.

“Dear Tacha,” he wrote. I appreciate your concern.

It is impossible to approach advocacy and enforcement with sentimentality or snap decisions. Law, data, and long-term social responsibility must serve as their guiding principles.

“The existence of poverty and the risks that kids encounter on our roads are undeniable. The presence of juveniles on key highways like Lekki-Epe is the exact reason that intervention is required, not the reason that enforcement should be discontinued. In the guise of compassion, leaving kids to avoid fast-moving cars is neglect rather than empathy.

First of all, Lagos State public institutions offer free tuition and free WAEC examinations. Additionally, Lagos offers free technical institutions, vocational centers, and skills-acquisition programs throughout the state, many of which teach crafts including fashion, shoemaking, photography, ICT, and creative arts. Beyond government facilities, free training and empowerment programs are regularly organized by community leaders, non-governmental organizations, religious organizations, and even elected officials throughout the state. It would be incorrect to say that there are no interventions, even though they might not be flawless.

The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development offers free admission to children who are interested in learning skills, while other children are apprehended, profiled, and returned to their parents, most of whom do not reside in Lagos. But the government’s job is not to raise uncooperative kids.

“Dear Tacha, we would be willing to collaborate with you and others to help remove children like these from the streets, going beyond social media, just like everyone else who has collaborated with the authorities. Please contact me or @Mo_ogunlende, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development.”