The steady influx of beggars into Lagos has created a troubling sight of young children and adults soliciting alms on major roads and streets across the state.
One of the most common locations is Ketu Bus Stop, where beggars of different ages, elderly people, youths and children, are often seen sitting on the median of Ikorodu Road, appealing to motorists and passersby for help.
One of our correspondents visited the area to speak with some of them and understand the circumstances that led them to street begging.
Some teenage girls, estimated to be between 15 and 20 years old, told Saturday Tribune that they migrated from Niger Republic with their parents to Kano before eventually relocating to Lagos.
According to them, they left Niger Republic due to insecurity, including frequent armed robbery incidents. They explained that after settling in Kano, they later moved to Lagos because they believed they would earn more from begging.
“We have been begging for some years now and we need help. We are tired of begging. We make about N500 a day,” one of them said.
Their responses reflected a sense of exhaustion and uncertainty about the future. The teenagers said they sleep around the Mile 12 area at night and return to Ketu during the day to beg.
Despite their situation, some Nigerians, both Muslims and Christians, were seen offering them food, drinks and money as acts of charity.
The growing presence of underage beggars on Lagos streets continues to raise concerns about child welfare, cross-border migration and the need for coordinated social intervention programmes.
City Of Underage Alms Seekers
The young boys and girls are all over the city space. They at major intersections across the metropolis, from Lagos Island to Ojota, Ikotun, Egbeda and Abule-Egba on the Mainland and beneath pedestrian bridges in Oshodi, Mile 12 and Ajeromi, all in Lagos. They are kid-beggars.
Curiously, irrespective of age, they seem to have mastered the ‘craft’ of alms-seeking. They are strategic, selective and, most times, hardly miss their targets. They have a way of profiling those they approach and once they have decided who to go after, they hardly let go.
Even the Island part of the city, considered closest to the state’s mega-city dream, is not spared the activities of these teenage beggars. Some are found on the ever-busy Marina, approaching prospective benefactors with “Oga, God bless you,” and always ready to walk some distance with ‘clients’ who are not quick enough in dipping their hands into their pockets.
Barefoot and often clad in tattered clothing, swarms of out-of-school minors now navigate heavy traffic with a brazenness shaped less by innocence than by prolonged exposure to the harsh economics of street survival.
More troubling is the sight of these children manoeuvring through traffic congestion and knocking on car windows to attract attention.
Many residents who spoke with Saturday Tribune expressed deep concern. They believe what was once perceived as episodic urban poverty is fast evolving into a visible underclass crisis.
The trend raises urgent questions about public safety, governance capacity and the sustainability of Lagos’ mega-city ambitions.
Chairman of the Community Development Council (CDC) in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Babatunde Kasunmu, expressed concern over the growing risks posed by alms-seeking juveniles.
Kasunmu cited petty theft, harassment of motorists, coordinated distraction tactics and exploitation as some of the clear and present dangers posed by the presence of these alms-seeking teenagers in city spaces.
“Unless the Lagos State government returns to the basics, the menace of juvenile begging will persist,” he said.
Kasunmu identified population growth, economic hardship and migration into Lagos in search of livelihood opportunities as some of the driving factors. According to him, the scale and diversity of those involved show that the practice is no longer confined to any particular ethnic or regional group.
Kasunmu also called for a broader policy rethink, including greater investment in education and talent development. While emphasising the importance of formal schooling, he noted that not all children will follow conventional professional paths. He, however, urged government to strengthen sports and vocational programmes capable of harnessing latent talents and taking some of these children off the streets.
“These children have abilities that are wasting away on the streets,” he said, calling for collaboration among the three tiers of government to manage what he described as a growing menace.
A bus driver, Muftau Alao, who plies the Ikotun axis, expressed dismay at the activities of these underage beggars.
He recounted instances of children clinging to moving vehicles or stepping in front of cars to wash windscreens in exchange for payment, oblivious to the dangers inherent in such actions.
“They loiter around busy junctions and cling to vehicles while begging. Some stand in front of moving cars to wash windscreens.
“In a city already grappling with congestion, infrastructure strain and intense population pressure, such practices introduce a volatile human element into traffic management. Drivers report near misses, minor collisions and obstruction of free vehicular movement,” he stated.
Beyond immediate accident risks, residents warn of broader economic implications. Increased security concerns, higher insurance premiums and diminished investor confidence are frequently cited as potential downstream effects if the situation remains unchecked.
For Steve Omoyale, a resident around the Abule Egba axis of the state, the activities of these children amount to a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
“The fact remains that these people will not remain underage forever. They will grow, and the possibility of drifting into crime is quite high. What do you think is responsible for the security breaches we are witnessing in some parts of the city today?
“There was a day I was driving around Abule Egba. I was in traffic when a very young boy approached me, pretending to seek alms. By the time I was through with him, I discovered that another boy, whom I did not realise was working with him, had stolen some cash from the other side of my vehicle.
“There are some areas now where you dare not use your phone at certain times of the day. It is so bad that even within communities, we have boys organising themselves into groups to extort money. All these are a result of the activities we are discussing now, which we failed to address in the past,” he added.
Basirat Alabi, another resident, believes the earlier government intervenes to send these children to school, the better for society.
“Having these kids on the road, exposed to the vagaries of harsh weather, road accidents and exploitation, will only mould them into negative elements,” she stated.
Interestingly, while some advocate that the state government wield the big stick, perhaps adopting strategies employed by a former governor who deported elements he believed were becoming a challenge to the state, Toyin Ajayi, a resident, cautioned that enforcement alone would be insufficient.
While advocating stricter application of child welfare laws, she stressed the need to strengthen social protection systems, improve access to free and compulsory education and provide targeted support for low-income families.
“Removing children from the streets without addressing poverty will not solve the problem,” she said.
Beyond the socio-economic implications for the state of aquatic splendour, a town planner, Kole Martins, expressed concern that Lagos’ dream of becoming a mega city may remain unrealised if these activities persist unchecked.
“It is not good for the optics and aesthetics of a city aspiring to attain mega status. The government must be thinking seriously about how to address this situation if it is truly sincere about transforming the city into a mega city and making it attractive to prospective investors.”
Perhaps one way to address the issue is by listening to the parents of some of the underage children, who claim that the prevailing economic situation in the country has left them with no choice but to look the other way while their children engage in such unwholesome practices.
For instance, some parents who spoke with Saturday Tribune said they lacked the financial means to send their children to school, despite the state government’s free education policy at primary and secondary levels.
Those who acknowledge the policy argue that schooling goes beyond tuition. They insist that feeding, uniforms, shoes, bags and writing materials all require money, resources they simply do not have.
Some told Saturday Tribune that they once enrolled their children in school but later withdrew them due to what they described as a non-conducive learning environment in many public schools.
Interestingly, across stakeholder groups, there is consensus that the growing visibility of underage beggars on Lagos streets constitutes both a social and humanitarian challenge, requiring urgent and coordinated intervention.
Efforts to speak with the Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotosho, on the state government’s plans in this regard yielded no result. Several calls and WhatsApp messages to his phone went unanswered.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
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