Lagos Moves To Support Rehabilitees As They Rebuild Lives Outside Institutional Care
Sherif Salau
The Lagos State Government has renewed its call for communities and families to welcome rehabilitated young adults with acceptance and practical support as they re-enter society.
At a one-day sensitisation meeting held at the Ikeja Youth Centre, Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development Mr Mobolaji Ogunlende told participants that successful reintegration is more than the day a person walks out of an institutional care centre. It is a deliberate process of rebuilding lives, restoring dignity, mending family relationships and helping individuals become productive members of their communities.
The programme, organised by the Ministry’s Human Integration Unit and themed “Successful Reintegration into Society: Challenges and Opportunities,” brought together about-to-be-released and already released young adults as well as rehabilitees from state care centres.
Commissioner Ogunlende described the gathering as further evidence of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to building a compassionate and inclusive society. He praised the social workers, counsellors, development partners, security agencies, community and faith-based leaders who continue to give vulnerable young people a second chance.
He acknowledged the real obstacles many face after release — stigma, discrimination, unemployment, limited educational opportunities, emotional trauma and fractured family ties — but insisted these challenges need not define anyone’s future. Education, vocational and digital skills, entrepreneurship, mentorship and continuous personal growth, he said, remain powerful pathways to transformation.
The Ministry, he added, will keep strengthening rehabilitation programmes, psychosocial support, vocational training, youth empowerment schemes and aftercare services so that rehabilitees are better prepared for independent living.
Speaking directly to the young adults present, Ogunlende urged them to believe in themselves, stay disciplined, acquire useful skills and choose positive company. Their past, he reminded them, does not have to decide their future.
Permanent Secretary Pharm. (Mrs) Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, represented by Director of Social Welfare Mrs Olubukayo Odukoya, welcomed participants and described reintegration as a transformative journey that requires determination, resilience and deliberate positive choices. She encouraged those present to engage fully with the sessions and equip themselves with practical knowledge for responsible adult life.
The meeting underscored a simple but difficult truth: for reintegration to succeed, society itself must open the door.
