By Olasunkanmi Akoni

Lagos State Government has shut down four orphanages implicated in child trafficking, illegal adoption, and other violations of child rights laws, while approving 45 other homes after rigorous screening.

Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, disclosed this during a ministerial press briefing at Alausa, Ikeja, marking the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat’s administration.

Ogunlende explained, “God’s Time Orphanage in Igando was shut down for violating child rights laws, improper registration, and mismanagement. At Life Time Changer Orphanage in Festac, we discovered babies were being trafficked. Other organizations failed to follow proper procedures in child adoption.”

He stressed that the closures were due to observed infractions and operational irregularities. The affected homes will remain closed pending investigations, after which sanctions or corrective measures will be applied to deter future violations.

The commissioner urged prospective orphanage operators to strictly adhere to guidelines, including obtaining a Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration certificate, dedicating the facility solely to orphanage services, exclusive child placement through the Ministry, no unauthorized adoption without Ministry approval, and clear operational specialization.

Ogunlende reaffirmed that the Ministry is the sole authority for placing children in registered orphanages and warned against circumventing established protocols.

Meanwhile, the State government, through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, has approved 68 fully registered orphanages and provisionally approved 45 others over the past year to complement government-owned facilities in caring for vulnerable children.

“The administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu is committed to ensuring children are raised in safe environments where they receive proper care,” Ogunlende said.

On disability empowerment, Ogunlende noted that Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs (LASODA) has empowered 1,000 persons with disabilities (PWDs) through financial aid, skills training, vocational tools, and healthcare access in the past year.

Key interventions include disbursing ₦30 million to 150 senior citizens with disabilities, 100 vulnerable PWDs, and disability advocacy groups such as Dyslexia Nigeria, National Association for the Blind, and Down Syndrome Association.

For entrepreneurship, 100 PWDs received business training, CAC registration, and tools like cookers, fish tanks, freezers, and sewing machines to boost their ventures. Civil servants with disabilities were provided with motorized wheelchairs, scooters, laptops with JAWS software, and prosthetics funding.

Additional support included free oral care for children with disabilities, distribution of manual wheelchairs and assistive devices, and rehabilitation of inclusive schools with learning aids.

LASODA also organized quizzes, talent exhibitions, and an Ability Expo to showcase the creativity of PWDs.

In youth development, over 85,000 young Lagosians were empowered through leadership, entrepreneurship, digital, and vocational training initiatives.

Ogunlende highlighted the LAG-UP Project, a tech-driven youth empowerment partnership with GFA Technologies, enrolling 45,806 youths in over 84 tech and creative skills courses. So far, 23,305 participants have completed the program and earned certifications.

Vocational training covered 4,042 youths (3,200 females and 842 males) in trades such as shoemaking, tailoring, carpentry, tiling, and software development, in collaboration with private sector partners.

The Ministry also continues leadership development through the IBILE Youth Academy, which recently trained 500 young leaders as part of efforts to groom future state leaders.