The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development has denied the report making waves it threatened to arrest one Mrs. Afusat Salami, 35, who was soliciting financial assistance after she gave birth to a set of triplets recently via Caesarian Section.
In a statement issued on Monday by the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu, representatives of the Ministry paid Mrs. Salami a visit in line with the promise that the State would offer necessary assistance to alleviate the standard of living of the parent and the children.
In his words: “Contrary to misrepresentation being circulated online that the State Government is threatening to arrest Afusat and her children. There is no such plan. The officials of the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry were sent to visit the mother of three in order to gather information about her living condition with a view to giving necessary assistance”.
The Commissioner recalled that the attention of the Ministry was earlier drawn to a video that surfaced online about Mrs. Afusat Salami, where she narrated her deplorable living condition and called for help from philanthropists to alleviate the standard of living of her family and the newly delivered set of triplets, through a Polaris bank account number.
According to him, “Precisely on the 5th of November, 2020, when the Ministry received information about Mrs. Salami, who resides at Owolabi Street, Oshogun, Alapere, Ketu area of the State, a team of government officials from the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry was immediately sent to visit and assured her of the intervention from the government”.
“Mrs. Salami told the government officials that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected her source of livelihood, being a petty trader in a school, and the inability of her husband to meet the family’s financial obligations made her cry out for financial assistance. She was, however, advised to desist from using the children to beg for financial assistance as the government promised to support her and the family”, he added.
The Commissioner maintained that the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, saddled with the statutory responsibility of giving succour to the downtrodden, will continue to do all within its power for social protection of children and all residents of the State.
