……and those irresponsible Sharia governors and elites in the North ?
….But instead Lagos is now flooded with these eyesore Sharia beggars. Common give Fashola a break !!

tonsoyo you a spouting emotions and giving it the coloration of Nigerian constitution and laws? Hogwash!

The constitution of Nigeria does not use income or property ownership as a means test or litmus test to determine freedom of movement and freedom to reside in any of the federating states in Nigeria, including the federal capital territory of Abuja.

The issue here is simple. Lagos state unconstitutionally and illegally, remove bona fide citizens of Nigeria, from Lagos, the preferred abode of these citizens of our republic. This is a violation of the Fundamental Human Rights and Mr. Fashola and Lagos deserve censure and reprimand from all of us for this opprobrium!

Read Below this poverty argument, as I see it. Because state of origin, is an accident of birth and not a choice any Nigerian made.


You were born in Lagos into opulent wealth of caviar, wine and even champagne?

Me? I was born in Kaduna into destitution of Almajiri life

You could have been born into destitution in Kaduna yourself, as I was!

You are wealthy and I am poor

God bless rich and poor Nigerians

Nobody I know likes life on shoe strings budget or finances

You could have been born in Kaduna just as I was....

Most of you here talk about these beggars, albeit, fellow humans, fellow Nigerians... you talk about them in devalued human life terms... which is what most people accuse governments in Nigeria, at every strata, of equally devaluing and demeaning the human dignity of Nigerian citizens... so, how are you guys here different from the political elite?

You guys devalue these poor beggars, in order to dismiss them as non-humans deserving none of your love, attention or care!

That is not the Nigeria that I want or that we all should want.

The Nigerian Constitution recognizes both State and National citizenships. Every Nigerian has a right to RESIDE in any part of the country of his choice, not a right to LIVE under bridges, public parks, streets etc. Residency by all legal and grammatical definition connotes a home with an address. You are not availed of that right when:

You do not a have residence - you cannot reside - common sense, I THINK

You constitute yourself a safety and health hazard when you have to ease, bath and let-off the \"major\" in public places

You constitute yourself a public nuisance by constantly obstructing the free flow of traffic or deprived others of the quiet enjoyment of their own homes, like the residents of Kano Street in Ebute-Metta Lagos.

You have become a public charge, because you do not have any visible means of livelihood.

tonsoyo is responsible for what is written below... the highlighted parts are my queries to tonsoyo in response

Residency by all legal and grammatical definition connotes a home with an address. You are not availed of that right when: (ILN asks tonsoyo, does any Nigerian citizen choose not to have address, given the means to do so?)

You do not a have residence - you cannot reside - common sense, I THINK

You constitute yourself a safety and health hazard when you have to ease, bath and let-off the \"major\" in public places

You constitute yourself a public nuisance by constantly obstructing the free flow of traffic or deprived others of the quiet enjoyment of their own homes, like the residents of Kano Street in Ebute-Metta Lagos.

You have become a public charge, because you do not have any visible means of livelihood.
(ILN says to tonsoyo, �Visible-means� means income and property (financial ability)

All of the above represent your thought processes and the core of your argument so far. They are self-explanatory, requires no constructions/interpretations. The primary meanings of what you have written, are succinctly clear to everyone here� even Stevie Wonder can see through you!

As recent as 2007, OBJ declared 2 days public holidays to enable people travel to their villages and vote.

In order to meaningfully define Nigerian citizenship, the underlying distrust among people must be tackled. How? I do not know

The Nigerian Constitution recognizes both State and National citizenships. Every Nigerian has a right to RESIDE in any part of the country of his choice, not a right to LIVE under bridges, public parks, streets etc...
You do not a have residence - you cannot reside - common sense, I THINK

I appreciate all the emotions and arguments this thread has generated. However, a close analysis suggests that two components of this topic require detailed assessment.
1). The right of a Nigerian citizen.
Before tackling this topic, let's have a trip down the memory lane. Prior to the 1966 upheavals, Nigerians of all ethnic groups got on reasonably well with each other. Many people were so relaxed in their place of abode that they did not even bother building houses in their supposed state of origin. However, the pogrom and subsequent civil war changed all that. Since then the actions of various miltary governments created unnecessary ethnic tensions. Thus, some governments introduced discriminatory school fees, irrespective of the fact that some residents (federal employees, bank staff and others) were compulsorily posted to those states. I once met a Ghanian who asked me whether our states were independent nations. Indeed, he could not understand why a head of state proudly announced that he did not have an atom of southern blood in him. What was wrong with southern blood-he asked?
As the general instability increased, many people opted to have one leg in their state of residence and another in their village. As recent as 2007, OBJ declared 2 days public holidays to enable people travel to their villages and vote. One would have expected that as in the first republic people would vote in their state of residence. Is it proper that people who have spent years in one state would suddenly show up in their so-called state of origin to contest an election?
In order to meaningfully define Nigerian citizenship, the underlying distrust among people must be tackled. How? I do not know.
2). Begging as a profession.
This is a menace that must be seriously addressed. In some cities, it has become the practice to see hordes of beggars at road junctions and in front of shops in some cities. A quick assessment shows that a great percentage of these people can be gainfully employed. Somebody mentioned that some beggars are quadriplegic. This is not correct. Quadriplegics are usually bedridden and cannot beg. Many beggars are physically challenged either because of childhood polio infection, trauma or other diseases that end up with loss of vision. Also some have psychiatric problems and indeed nobody has even examined them to see if they have brain tumors or complications of head injury. More importantly, there are healthy women with children whose husbands or lovers send out to beg. Many of these women are from either Niger or Chad.
If we accept begging as a profession, then one may argue that as members of other professions they should have the right to practice their profession any where in the country.
If on the other hand, begging is not allowed by the laws of the land, then they should all be rounded up. I am aware that in some countries, begging is a punishable offence. I am therefore unable to comment on Fashola's action until our legal experts enlighten us on the legality of begging as a profession.
I shall close with this question- Is it morally right for states that refused immunization and amputate people's hands to dump their liabilities on others?

Nice point your raised above until you spoilt it with the bolded part. You have just exhibited the same thinking that motivated the action of the LSG by your so called question.

You're assuming that these people do not have a mind of their own or the right to seek greener pasture or better living environment elsewhere in the country and concluded that they were dumped in Lagos by their state government. It is a totally incorrect conclusion on your part and there makes your question redundant

Let's even take the case that their own state government has failed them by depriving them of immunisation and metting out babaric punishment. Isn't that the more reason for them to seek a more humane environment to live in and as Nigerians don't they have the right to so do.

You should know that no state government has the right to force any Nigerian to remain in a particular state if they do not so wish. In the same vein, no state government has the right to deport any Nigeria from any state against their wish.

Nigeria does not need to redefine citizenship as our constitution already guarantees the right of all Nigerians to live and work anywhere within the country. Our constitution simply needs to be enforced.

Where are the Gani Fawehinmis and other human rights advocates to file a suit on behalf of these voiceless hapless Nigerians?

Just a few months ago, the Plateau state government using Federal security agencies � Army and Police (implying Aso Rock approval) similarly bundled Fulanis out of Bassa LGA in Plateau state to neigbouring states.

Similarly, in an over-reaction to the Boko Haram crisis, the Federal government illegally evacuated the non-violent Dar-ul Islam commune in Niger state, for deportation to their respective states. All this is happening in an administration that prides it self on the \"rule of law\".

Like I stated in gamji.com article on the issue - The atrocious Fulani deportation - this is setting a very bad precedent in which Nigerians living outside their states of origin can be deported on flimsy excuses.

Tomorrow Igbo beer parlour operators may be deported from Kano for violating Sharia.
We might as well deport Ijaws from the Niger Delta, to restore peace in that troubled region.



OBJ�s declaration of public holiday was just an iddiotic ruse to stop or delay the Supreme Court from overturning the ban on Atiku from participating in that presidential election.

INEC never insisted that voters should register in their states of origin. So why would people go to their states to vote, when they can only vote where they registered ?



The underlying distrust can be easily be corrected by leaders who are alive to their responsibility of utilizing our abundant resources to develop our economy, so that there are enough job and educational opportunities for all Nigerians irrespective of ethnicity or religion.

It is the unhealthy competition for the very limited opportunities in our underdeveloped nation that leads to ethnic & religious discrimination for the ver few available placements.



To the best of my knowledge our constitution does not define �residence�. So parks, bridges and streets can become residence, since our inept dysfunctional governments have failed to live up to their obligations of providing the citizenry with meaningful livelihood and accomodation.

As Governor of Lagos state, Fashola is constitutionally responsible for all Nigerians living in Lagos - indigene or not. It is not up to him to decide which Nigerians are welcome in Lagos depending on their economic status.

Leaders are expected to ameliorate the sufferings of people, not compound them by using their impoverished status as an excuse to inflict even more atrociries on the hapless poor.

people have limited rights out of their states under the Nigerian laws and practice as of today.