An evacuation exercise of destitutes loitering on major roads in the metropolis of Ibadan was carried out by the focal ministry responsible for formulating,implementing policies and advising the state government on all issues related to the welfare of the vulnerable demographics in our society ( Women,Children,Elderly,Differently Abled and the destitute);the Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Inclusion and other collaborating partners viz Ministry of Environment and requisite parts of the state security architecture(DSS, Police,Operation Burst,Amotekun,Vigilante,NSCDC,Bouncers) on Wednesday the 24th of January.
The Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs & Social Inclusion in the state; Hon( Mrs) Toyin Balogun stated this while she and the Commissioner for Environment; Hon Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola addressed law abiding citizens of the state around the Iwo Road bridge and Gbagi Market where most of the destitute were evacuated from.
She explained further that the state government was concerned about the incipient risk to the lives and limbs of these vulnerable destitute as most of them had over the years fallen victim to hit and run incidents from drivers under the influence with attendant losses of lives and limbs.
She averred further that equally worrisome is the fact that the vagrant lifestyles of these destitute also exposed them to other ancillary violent and Sexual Gender Based Violence ( SGBV) related risks like rape,ritual murders and other despicable activities of miscreants particularly for the women and underaged children along them.
All these concerns motivated the Government of His Excellency Governor Seyi Makinde through the Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Inclusion to activate requisite machinery in order to create safer spaces for the destitutes/evacuees .
She further explained whilst addressing the over 600 first set of evacuees relocated to the Akinyele IDP camp after the first raid that plans are underway to make the Camp more habitable with provision of sustenance for evacuees.
To further underscore the fact that the action is not intended to be punitive,the Vocational Centres of the Ministry are to be upgraded with as many as are willing of the destitute incorporated into various vocational training programmes geared to make them self reliant and able to take care of their basic needs instead of taking to a risky lifestyle inevitable from street begging.
The Honourable Commissioner also stated that Oyo State had outlawed the menace of Street Begging just like many states in the North and all over the Country have,so it’s in their best interest to cooperate with His Excellency GSM in line with his plans to elevate them from Poverty to Prosperity and the Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Inclusions stated goal to lift 4 million Vulnerable family units from Destitution to Self Sustenance to Prosperity between now and the end of the lifespan of this government.
