The Lagos State Government has charged migrants to be diligent and patient to earn a positive living in the state.
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mrs Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, gave the charge in Ikeja, during the Quarterly Meeting with the Chairman and Members of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).
Salu-Hundeyin said in a statement that some migrants were not patient enough, hence, engaging in inappropriate activities.
She said that Lagos State had high intra-migration rate, as citizens sought greener pasture, hence, the influx of people into the state.
According to her, it is not just northerners that flock into Lagos State, as many people from every part of Nigeria are coming in.
“My Eastern brothers come a lot, even my Ogun state corner here, they come. So, it is not just northerners. It is just that theirs is obvious.
“It’s not just northerners, even the Benin Republic, and they even pretend that they are from Badagry, because we share the same name, we speak the same language.
“Even Nigeriens, that’s what they do in Niger Republic. Nigeriens, they come in through Kano. Once they are in Kano, the next place they are eyeing is Lagos. Some of them are not even Nigerians, people we are calling northerners.
“Lagos is the only state that the rate of intra-migration is higher and unprecedented. This is because everybody believes that Lagos is a state of money, that once you enter Lagos, if you can work hard, you will be rich.
“That is how God has blessed. Lagos is a land that is so blessed that once you step your foot on this state, and you work hard, you make it, and that is why they all come.
“Unfortunately, when they come, they are not patient enough to truly make it. Then they go into other very unprintable things, which is why security is our concern. This is the truth,” she said.
The SSG said the governor had given a matching order that abandoned structures should be identified, and know who the owners were.
She said in accordance with the law, there are some provisions that said if a property was abandoned for a certain period of time, the state had the right to take over it.
“So, we want to know, because these things are constituting insecurity. They are security risk to us,” Salu-Hundeyin said.
The Chairman, PCRC, Lagos Chapter, Apostle Kehinde Showemimo, said the influx of people into Lagos State had an underlying security challenge.
Showemimo said some persons from other states in the country come to Lagos, without having anywhere to stay, hence, taking shelter in abandoned structures.
He also said some unsuspecting individuals hibernate in abandoned buildings, after committing nefarious acts.
The chairman called on the government to ensure strict implementation of the law on abandoned structures, toward ensuring a safer Lagos.
He said the PCRC would continue to work with the Police, to ensure that residents of the state remained safe.
