The Lagos State Government yesterday advised beggars in the state to leave the metropolis in their own interest or face drastic action.
Commissioner of Youth and Social Development, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, gave the advice yesterday.
Mrs. Akinbile-Yussuf said there was an ongoing campaign against the menace of street begging on radio stations in the state to sensitise people on the need to stop it.
The commissioner also urged Lagosians to stop giving alms to beggars in order to discourage them, saying: “We have been campaigning against street begging on radio since January. The campaign will run for three months following which the state government will take more drastic actions against perpetrators because there is anti-begging law in the state.
“What we are also saying is that people should stop giving alms to beggars on the streets because many of them are not beggars in the real sense of it. Many street beggars have been discovered to engage in criminal activities and hard drugs”.
Good move