By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
Musician Skales has warned the Lagos State Government that the growing street begging situation in the state could soon escalate beyond its control unless urgent and serious action is taken.
Skales made the remark on his verified X handle, @youngskales, at 18:55 on Wednesday, 30 September, 2026.
Addressing the state government directly, he wrote: “Dear Lagos state govt if you don’t do something serious about this begging situation it will escalate to something you can’t control soon.”
The post had drawn about 52,100 views, 98 replies, 447 reposts, 2,500 likes and 16 bookmarks at the time of this report, and it quickly opened a wider conversation among X users on the scale, causes and handling of street begging in the state.
A user, Nurse Badende, described the situation as “scary now,” saying motorists can no longer roll down their windows in traffic. She claimed that many of those begging on the streets are not from Lagos but are transported into the state daily. She argued that the government needs to address the root cause of the problem, not just chase them away.
Another user, Pozzo (@iampozzo), said the begging is on a “legendary scale” and no longer differs between urban and rural areas, with beggars found everywhere. He added that the situation is happening in what he called Lagos’s “proposed mega city.”
Others used the thread to question the government’s willingness to act. Abiola Oshodi, a verified user, claimed that the authorities would not do anything because the same young men are their political machinery.
According to him, they are used for grassroots mobilisation and election work, a role that has made them “completely untouchable.” He alleged that the government is “basically being held hostage by the monster they created.”
A user, Micmandi, responded with a lighter, sceptical tone, asking Skales in a reply: “Baba SKALES you mean Lekki street boy?”
At the time of this report, there was no response from the Lagos State Government to the post or to the claims made by the commenters.
