In the past year, Lagos State Government has shut down no fewer than five orphanages due to serious violations, including baby trafficking and breaches of the State Child Rights Law of 2015.
Mr. Mobolaji Ogunlende, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development on the 20th of May, revealed this during the 2025 Ministerial Press Briefing marking Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second year in office.
He explained that these closures are part of a determined crackdown on illegal activities, aiming to protect the rights of children throughout Lagos.
“We have a duty to protect the most vulnerable members of our society, which is why our officers work round the clock.
“Any facility found to be engaging in unwholesome activities such as baby trafficking will be decisively dealt with; we have the records with us,” he stressed.
The ministry runs a specialized monitoring unit dedicated to enforcing regulations and safeguarding children’s welfare in orphanages and related care homes.
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“Our monitoring team is constantly in the field, ensuring that these homes are operating within the ambit of the law,” Ogunlende added.
Beyond these measures, the ministry has also focused on empowering youth. In the last year alone, over 4,000 young people received training in diverse vocational skills.
“We are committed to empowering our young people. Through targeted skills acquisition programmes, more than 4,000 youths have been trained to become self-reliant.
“Training in vocations such as tailoring, fish farming, ICT; they are at liberty to choose any vocation of their choices,” he said.