There is mass pro-creation going on under bridges across Lagos State. The accommodation crisis occasioned by high rent which has dislodged many residents from their residences may have bloated the number of people seeking refuge under bridges.

Some years ago, living under bridges used to be an exclusive preserve of males, but today, it is being explored by females. As the co-habitation goes on, females among them are getting pregnant.

Children born to these women are being raised in the same environment, which usually end-up as beggars and grow to become terrors in society. The situation also speaks to the growing levels of insecurity across many communities in Lagos, because the children born and raised in such environments are largely street urchins.

Beyond the commercial activities that happen on Lagos? pedestrian bridges by traders, are the sexual activities that also take place in some of these so-called ungoverned spaces.

Ever wondered how the women who begged in traffic with children find their way to the streets? Or who fathered those children with these women? The answers are not too far away from what you already know.

For many of these women who have made the pedestrian bridges home, sex is just a denominator for survivors being offered on request to available bidders. Sex is so cheap it could be offered/obtained for a bottle of carbonated drinks depending on the negotiating power of the bidder.

From the mainland to the island, Mile 2 to Oshodi, to Agege, to Iya-Iba, the stories are the same. Ablebodied men and women cohabit on pedestrian bridges with makeshift tents that serve as residences.

These occupants are now seen on the bridge round the clock ? something that used to be an aberration. Today, people (both male and female) who have made the bridges a permanent home, reside on the bridge at every given time of the day.

At the first-gate axis along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, these able-bodied young men and women are usually seen sleeping on the bridge, and only resort to begging as a means of livelihood.

?The situation on the bridge is troubling because people are usually scared of using that bridge at night. Once it is 7pm many commuters would rather risk their lives crossing the expressway than use the pedestrian bridge,? a concerned resident of Festac shared her experience with BusinessDay.

She told BusinessDay that the illegal occupants of the pedestrian bridge are now emboldened to the point that men and women cuddle in broad daylight not minding the sight of passersby. ?You only need to pass through that bridge to imagine what happen between them,? she said.

Sometimes in March 2025, the Lagos State government through the KAI brigade, men of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), were used to dislodged people occupying the pedestrian bridge at Mile 2 ? just by the train station.

The officials also went a step further in engaging some locals in ensuring that nobody was allowed to reside on the bridge. However, all of that is gone now as the dislodged occupants are back to their usual ?home.?

BusinessDay?s observation also revealed that some persons of interest collect money from these illegal occupiers to allow them stay perpetually on the bridge. The interested parties do not just collect money from the residents of the pedestrian bridge; they also collect money from keke and bikes, especially dispatch riders from using the bridge.

?The issue of homeless people is one that we will consider very strange to our communal African culture where there is always a relative or family member that is always ready to come through for one when the chips are down,? Euriel Momah, founder, Smiles for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Initiative (SOVCI).

He however, said that many people are losing the communal African culture, which in a way is indirectly feeding the growing numbers of homeless people across many city centres. ?But this is no longer the case as we are seeing all around us.?

According to Momah, the mass migration to cities in search of job and better living conditions is a contributing factor to the growing homelessness in a city like Lagos. He said that this factor is as a result of government neglect to develop the rural communities and build the necessary facilities there. ?Those who find themselves in the cities, like Lagos in hope of greener pastures, get disappointed.?

He also highlighted the current socio-economic challenges occasioned by the poor economy that has made it difficult, if not impossible, for family members who would have helped, not able to do so.

?Related to the above is the problem of insurgency and conflicts in some parts of the country resulting in displacing a lot of people from their homes. Some of these displaced persons find their ways to the cities and the situations we have at the moment,? Momah said.

He also highlighted Nigeria?s porous border is another contributory factor to the current growing numbers of homeless people in places like Lagos. He said that there are so many illegal aliens who daily find themselves in the country and the cities without any specific destination in mind.

However, Momah believes the situation can be managed if the government takes proactive measures in addressing the highlighted contributory challenges. ?The government must be more proactive in handling this problem, but it seems it is not one of their problems currently.?

He also urged well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the government by providing support for vulnerable members of the society. ?We need more well-meaning wealthy Nigerians to also help.

?Instead of lavishing their wealth on frivolities and non-essentials, such funds can be channelled towards charity and reliving the poor. I remember the example of a particular billionaire in one country who built multiples of small apartments to help the poor and homeless,? Momah said.

Security concern

For many Lagosians, the increasing number of homeless people residing both on and under the bridge is a security risk that calls for urgent attention by the government. To this end, some residents of Lagos have called on the government to take decisive action in tackling the menace.

?I think the government just needs to enforce its no trading laws on the bridges to dislodge these people, who often come under the pretense of selling consumables on the bridge,? said Chinedu, a trader on Lagos island market.

Earlier in the year, the state government effort to bring sanity to some troubled spot across the state was criticized by some residents who felt the state was trying to criminalize homelessness. Stakeholders have long argued that criminalizing homelessness without addressing root causes such as poverty, joblessness, and lack of housing is a misstep.

?The Lagos State Environmental Taskforce team embarked on its usual clean-up enforcement operation around the Lekki axis in Lagos Island. A total number of 74 individuals were arrested?72 male and 2 female?and sanity was restored in all the areas,? Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, posted on his official X handle.

The enforcement was carried out to restore sanity to the state, especially against the growing sanitation concerns on the backdrop of a deepening housing crisis caused by an estimated 28 million housing deficit. (BusinessDay)

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