by Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered the removal of beggars, destitute, cart pushers, and buyers of condemned items from Lagos streets, in addition to enforcing the existing ban on commercial motorcycle (Okada) operations in the state.
The action, carried out on June 10, 2026, targeted groups largely identified as “migrants from Northern Nigeria.”
The exercise was coordinated by the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, led by Commissioner Tokunbo Wahab. Affected persons were reportedly moved from Lagos streets to their various states of origin.
The move has drawn commendation from public affairs commentator, Dr. Zainab Suleiman Buhari, who described it as a “bold step” and urged other southern and western governors to follow “legally and humanely.”
In a statement, titled, ‘Lagos Did What Many Feared To Do,’ Dr. Buhari argued that street begging should not be regarded as culture or tradition. “Identity is language, craft, values, and history. Identity is not sending children to traffic lights with bowls in hand,” she stated. She described the practice as a cycle of poverty that traps generations, and called it “a system that failed.”
*Call for Northern Leaders to Act*
Dr. Buhari said every region has poor people, but few regions “export vulnerability as visibly as ours,” with women and children seen on highways, at mosques and bus-stops. She warned that the image of a “Northern child” being associated with street begging has become a stereotype that must be addressed by Northern leaders and parents.
She stressed that deportation from Lagos is only “step one,” and urged Northern governors, commissioners, senators, representatives and agencies to pursue deeper reforms. Her recommendations included integrating Almajiri and Western education, promoting family planning and reorientation, and funding skills acquisition, microloans and local industries so as to provide alternatives to begging.
“Being Northern should mean resilience, scholarship, and enterprise. The North produced scholars, who taught the world. The North built trade routes that moved empires. We did not build that legacy on street corners,” she said.
*Appeal for Humane Approach*
While supporting the Lagos Government’s action, Dr. Buhari cautioned against mocking the poor. “Poverty is not a crime. Hunger is not a crime. Being born into a broken system is not a crime,” she noted, adding that “The real failure lies with adults, institutions, and leaders who watched generation after generation of children inherit the same hardship and called it ‘normal.’”
She concluded that the conversation is not an attack on the North but an appeal for reform, stating: “Northern Nigeria has the people, the resources, the history, and the potential to lead Africa in education, innovation, agriculture, and enterprise. But, first, we must decide that every child matters more than every excuse.”
The Lagos State Government has not released official figures on the number of persons relocated during the exercise.