Lagos State Government has shut four orphanages over babies’ trafficking and illegal adoption.
Its Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Abubakre Ogunlende, disclosed this during the annual Ministerial Press Briefing, held at Alausa, Ikeja, to mark the second year of the second tenure of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration in the state
He said: ‘’In the year under review, God’s Time Orphanage Igando was shut down because of violation of procedure in child right law, registration and mismanagement. In Life Time Changer Orphanage FESTAC, we found out they were trafficking babies. Some other organisations found out they do not follow the procedure when they give out children for adoption.
‘’They do things within their realm because we have officers that continue to go out. We have access to information as a government, as a ministry, which is to protect those children. When we get these information, we ensure that we go out and they are brought to book. This is the reason why we shut them down. I will also want to appeal to orphanages that we have guidelines. We also encourage you to come to the Ministry that we will offer you guidelines to open an orphanage home.’’
The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, he said, has approved the establishment of more orphanages in the last one year, adding that 68 orphanages were fully registered, while 45 others received provisional approvals after rigorous screening processes to ensure compliance with basic standards.
He noted that these approvals are meant to complement government-owned orphanages in caring for vulnerable children.
He stated: “The administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is fully committed to ensuring that our children are raised in conducive environments where they receive proper care and attention.”
He reiterated that the Ministry remains the sole authority for placing children in registered orphanages and warned against circumventing established protocols.
According to him,1,000 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) have been empowered directly by the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA), either through financial support, skills acquisition or provisions of vocational and work tools and health care access in the last one year.
He explained that the efforts align with the THEMES+ Agenda of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration aimed at ensuring that no Lagos resident is left behind in the delivery of good and impactful governance regardless of ability or disability status.
On empowerment and entrepreneurship of PWDs, Ogunlende disclosed that 100 PWDs received business training and registration with CAC and tools such as cookers, fish tanks, freezers, and sewing machines to boost entrepreneurial ventures.
He added that civil servants with disabilities received motorized wheelchairs, scooters, laptops with JAWS software, and prosthetics funding.
Other areas of intervention included the provision of free oral care for children with disabilities, presentation of manual wheelchairs and assistive devices to individuals in need, rehabilitation and reconstruction of inclusive schools, with delivery of learning aids and tools, among others.
He also mentioned that LASODA organized interactive quizzes, talent exhibitions, and an Ability Expo to highlight the creativity and intelligence of PWDs during the period under review.
To demonstrate its commitment to youth development, the commissioner said the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development has empowered over 85,000 young people across the state in the last one year through leadership, entrepreneurship, digital, and vocational training initiatives.
Harping on the Ministry’s digital empowerment efforts, the Commissioner highlighted the LAG-UP Project—a tech-driven youth empowerment initiative in partnership with GFA Technologies.
He disclosed that 45,806 youths have enrolled in training covering over 84 marketable tech and creative skills, while 23,305 participants have successfully completed the program and earned certifications.
On vocational skills development, Ogunlende noted that 4,042 youths, comprising 3,200 females and 842 males, were trained in various trades such as shoemaking, tailoring, carpentry, tiling, software development, and more.
The training, he added, was carried out in collaboration with private sector partners.
He also emphasized the Ministry’s continued focus on leadership development through the IBILE Youth Academy, which recently trained 500 participants as part of efforts to re-orientate and groom young leaders across the state.
