About 13 years ago, Samuel Tanimola ran away from home in Ifo, Ogun State, at the age of 10 years. He came to Lagos and settled down in Dopemu area of the state.

Tanimola, who is now a vulcaniser, told our correspondent that he was fed up with the living condition at home.

However, things were not as easy as he had hoped. He had no friend and knew nobody in the new place he found himself, yet he had to feed.

Tanimola joined hordes of street children roaming the streets and feeding through the use of their wits until he was eventually arrested by the Environmental Task force on Special Offences in 2004.

He said, "I ran away because I was not happy at home; it was a polygamous setting and my mum was not living with us.

"Although things were tough on the street, it was better than home. I even tried to escape when the police raided Dopemu that day. They grabbed as many of us as they could lay hands on and took us to the remand home at Oregun. I was so scared that I imagined the worst."

For two years, Tanimola remained at the Oregun Juvenile Centre under close supervision without any contact with the outside world.

Then in March 2006, Tanimola was transferred to the Correctional Centre for Senior Boys, Isheri, where he stayed another three years.

He said, "The centre at Isheri was much better than the one in Oregun. We were allowed to go out and then return to the centre. But at Oregun, we could not go out. It was while I was staying at Isheri that I decided to learn a trade and become a vulcanizer. I have no interest in school."

PUNCH Metro learnt that Tanimola was reunited with his family in 2009. His father did not, however, return to the centre after his first visit until November 2010, when his son was formally empowered to become self reliant.

Now 23 years, Tanimola plies his trade at the Vehicle Inspection Office at Ojodu, a place which he secured through the efforts of a permanent secretary at the Lagos State Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development.

He said, "I have moved out of the centre; I now live at Akute. Business is good; there are just two of us here. On a good day, I make as much as N5,000; sometimes N3,000, and on some days, nothing at all.

"On the whole, I can take care of myself. I used to think that it was over for me but now I am happy."

The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Youths, Sports and Social Development, Dr. Enitan Badru, said, "About 10 to 20 children come into our correctional centres monthly- most of them minors, caught roaming the streets or even committing crimes. Those caught committing crimes, usually face the justice system.

"These children often run away from home or were brought to Lagos by relatives. Others, fed up with life in the village, heard of a place called Lagos and got into a bus to come here, sleeping under the bridges and motor parks.

"When these children are brought in, we try to trace their families and reunite them. When we are not able to do that, we go to the courts and secure the right to keep the child and find the best means to help the child live a fulfilled life."

He said Tanimola was an example of the fact that street children could be made to become useful citizens with love and patience.

tomakint: No wonder Rhino claims he has 'money'

tomakint: No wonder Rhino claims he has 'money'

berem: please don't derail this thread it you got nothing reasonable to say.

Garri the 1st:
... I hope those okada men are paying attention.

Go and acquire a skill.......

eGuerrilla: There is dignity in labour.

Tanimola

adaobi123: He makes more than I do

berem: 5k daily, that's a huge some of money! In a month, it's 150K.That is equivalent to another man's salary package who has a white collar job. Thumbs up to the LASG for keeping hopes of these young boys alive.

CAMEROONPRIDE: you can still change your vocation...

ITbomb: I dont understand where these people keep their money.
You

adaobi123:

I will

CAMEROONPRIDE: Eko oni BAJE

[size=14pt]No Hiding Place For Beggars —fashola[/size] by Eko Ile: 5:16pm On Feb 16]

The war against begging in Lagos rages on as Governor Babatunde Fashola has vowed to eradicate all forms of begging in the state.

The governor stated that the law against begging must be enforced to ensure that beggars were stamped out of the streets of Lagos as their activities constituted nuisance to the public and the government.
Gov. Babatunde Raji, rages war against begging in the state

Gov. Babatunde Raji, rages war against begging in the state

[b]Fashola, who spoke after he visited the State Remand Home and Skill Acquisition Centre, Isheri, and the premises of Eko Transport in Oshodi on Thursday, said there was no reason why people should beg for alms on the streets of Lagos when they could easily learn some vocational skills.

“When we say people shouldn’t beg on our street, we mean it. The reason is that begging is not an option here. Everyone must contribute to this economy and those who have drug problem or illness have the choice to visit our remand homes where we feed them, rehabilitate and treat them.

“So, we have provided a choice and there is a law against street begging and we will enforce it,” he stated.

The governor added that several people had been trained at the vocational centres and had become very useful to the society, stressing that those begging for alms could also make themselves available for training in order to become useful to the society as well.

He explained that the Lagos State Remand Home and Skill Acquisition Centre, Isheri was developed over the last years essentially out of nothing. This, he attributed to the hard work by the deputy governor and her team.

The governor said the Wood Work section at the centre was where a lot of the state’s school furniture and stuff were being made currently, adding that the boots worn by officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority and Neighbourhood Watch were being made at the footwear centre.

“We have been to the refrigeration unit of the centre where they teach them basic refrigeration, maintenance, operational and management skills. We also saw the centre where the young ladies were making foot mats, dresses and all of that. They would move on as they finish to the African Growth Opportunities Act Centre (AGOA) in collaboration with the US Government where they can begin to export some of their work,” he said.

Fashola explained how the centre played a key role in developing skilled manpower even from among the indigent, saying that, “clearly, they are products of our technical colleges and also destitute and people with drug problems taken through rehabilitation and introduced to the Centres to learn a skill and go back and become useful members of the society.”[/b]

—Kazeem Ugbodaga

onila:

CAMEROONPRIDE: