The insurgency and banditry in the north of Nigeria have led to the death of many and displaced millions of others. While some of the displaced persons have found solace in communities close to them, others have travelled thousands of miles away from home to get new abode.
One of the places they have found alternative residence is Lagos State. This is evident in the number of new communities that have sprung up in the state recently.
Across many locations in Lagos, from Mazamaza to Alakija, Agege to Idiaraba, Festac to Alaba-rago and Ajah, Lekki to Abule-egba, Ikotun, Orile, Ijora and Obalende, not forgetting Oyingbo to Abesan and Ikorodu, to mention a few, a cluster of persons, mostly youths, from the north of Nigeria, have made these places their new home.
What stands them out is the communal lifestyle they often adopt, even though they may not be from the same state.
In many of these locations, while some of these persons live averagely comfortable, others, who are in a greater number, live in shanties, kiosks, makeshift structures and working tools such as, motorcycles and wheelbarrows, when they need to take a nap at night.
It was observed that many of these youths including underage children within these different locations are not lazing around, but making their hands dirty through riding commercial motorcycles, pushing carts, wheelbarrows, collecting disused items, serving as night guards, hawking petty items like kolanut, as well as doing all kinds of menial jobs, to earn a living.
While they must be commended for contributing to the state’s economy through the various commercial activities, no matter how minute it is, in many of these locations, their activities, sometimes, violate the state environmental laws.
This is because their accommodations in some of the locations are usually a clustered of unplanned structures built haphazardly across these locations, where they have been able to put a roof over their heads. As a result, many of these locations are either full shanties, a section of it or a colonised spots.
As a result, there are no planned basic facilities by government. Though there are efforts by residents of the area to provide some facilities to aid their living within these locations, if there is one, those facilities like central toilets, bathroom, are not adequately provided.
Many of them are found in areas seen as Hausa dominated communities like Agege and Idiaraba. Nevertheless, many others are now outside these locations, they sleep in groups in the halls of religious centres, open spaces in markets, big warehouses, malls, uncompleted buildings, under bridges, trailer parks, as well as refuse dumps, whether legal or illegal.
One thing that is very evident is the uninhabitable state of many of the places these persons lay their heads as well as the manner with which they earn a living could be dangerous to their health.
One of the youths, Saidu, who spoke with The Guardian, said he does manual work since he came to Obalende, Lagos from Borno State about seven years ago. He said he does not have a residence but squat. He maintained that he does not have the money and cannot spend hugely to rent a house in Lagos. He added that he is not bordered about squatting with his brother though most times he sleeps in from of the house.
Speaking on the development, a resident, Dolapo Adebola, noted that since the insurgency and now banditry, there have been huge in flock of youths from the north. He further noted that majority of them are however always willing to doing something to earn a living.
According to him, those who seem to be overboard are majorly the commercial motorcycle riders, who sometimes, can be very unruly and engage in mob action when one of them has disagreement with anyone.
He added that some of them are very faithful when engaged for any assignment or transactions.
Adebola, however, said any serious government needs to be concerned, because of the environment many of them live, especially the young ones among them.
“They live in very dirty environment. While there are those who do not live in unkempt places, majority of them squat within the markets, warehouses and under bridges,” he remarked.
Another resident, Taiye Sanusi, said he does not see any security threat from the army of northern youths dotting the different parts of the city from the interactions he has had with some of them.
He, nonetheless, said he has neighbours, who have expressed fears about the security threat they pose considering many of them do not have skills and do menial jobs, including commercial motorcyclists.
“A friend once said that he is afraid because majority of them are not skilled reason most of them do things that needs little or no skilled requirement. So, he said if they do not pose a security threat now, they could pose going forward,” Sanusi said.
He implored political elites in the north to find a way to resource them and equip them with skills that could make them not think of taking to criminality.
Commenting, the National President, Arewa United Consultative Forum, Dr Ado Shuaibu Dansudu, said it is a very unfortunate and sad scenario, seeing some youths and children from the north roaming around Lagos and living in dirty environment.
He attributed it to the situation of the country, especially insecurity in the north. “The way some northern youth, and boys are roaming about in Lagos and living in bad and dirty environment is because of the situation of this country, especially the insecurity in some of the northern states. Most of them are displaced persons because the government cannot take care of them or assist them properly that is why they are in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and some other places.
“Some were displaced from their villages and, towns and they lost all their properties in the process including, their means of livelihood, which is mostly farming. That is why they have to come to cities to look for their daily bread, while those who have not lost their parents are also working to assist their parents who probably have been displaced too from their means of livelihood.
“When you will find them in dustbins, that is where they are making their money, but it is very unfortunate. As a body, we are trying our best to organize them including advising them to respect the law of the state and live peacefully with their neighbours.
“We must comment the South West as they have been accommodating, just like the northerners. We see our people everywhere, even sleeping in front of peoples’ shops and houses, some without the owners’ knowledge. And I know it is because they understand the situation in the north that is why they are accommodating our people.”
He called on governors in the north to come to the rescue of these youths and children so that they would not take to crime and further compound the insecurity in the country.
“To be realistic, northern governments need to do something about it, especially those states which have been affected by insecurity. They should find a way to come to the aid of their people. If not that groups like ours constantly engage and advice them, some of them would have been criminals. We usually tell them that they must be focused and not involve in any crime, reason majority of them are going about peacefully without engaging in crime.”
He said there is a need to register all the northerners in South West, especially those in Lagos, identifying their local councils and states including their age and qualification with the goal of properly advising of returning home and what they could do to earn a better living.
“The northern political elite, especially the elected ones, need to copy the southerners, because they are not doing enough. The lawmakers at federal and state, ambassadors and other the appointees are not doing anything. They seem to have left the burden of the rehabilitation of these displaced and unfocused youths and boys to the Federal Government and the state governors, which should not be.
“In Southwest, even councilors empower members of his constituency, it might be small, may be 50,000 naira empowerment, but it is something, rather, our people will dash out token when they visit their constituencies and empower and embolden political thugs. They should be empowering people to start small businesses and deliberately encouraging them to go to schools. It will reduce insecurity, those taking to thuggery and going into hard drugs. One or two governors can start, others will follow.”(Guardian)
