“The Moment You Stop in Traffic, Beggar Boys Surround You” – Phyna Calls Out Lagos State Government

Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Ijeoma Josephina Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, has sparked heated conversations online after calling out the Lagos State Government over what she described as the disturbing activities of young boys who rush at vehicles in traffic to beg for money.

In a video shared on her Instagram story, Phyna lamented her experience while driving through Lagos traffic, alleging that groups of boys — whom she identified as mostly Yoruba — surrounded her car aggressively the moment she stopped. According to her, the practice has now become a daily nuisance, leaving motorists unsafe and uneasy.

“The moment you stop in traffic, beggar boys, Yoruba boys to be precise, will just surround you and start begging for money. Lagos State Government, please do something about this,” she said in frustration.

Her statement, however, has triggered mixed reactions. While some social media users agreed with her and demanded that the state government address the menace of street begging and child exploitation, others accused her of tribal profiling, arguing that crime and begging in Lagos are not limited to a particular ethnic group.

The controversy has since spilled into X (formerly Twitter), with hashtags like #Phyna, #LagosTraffic, and #StreetBegging climbing trends. Some defended Phyna for speaking her truth as a road user, while others cautioned celebrities against making generalizations that could stoke ethnic tensions.

This is not the first time Lagos has faced criticism over its growing population of street beggars and traffic hawkers. Human rights groups have consistently warned that many of the children seen in traffic are victims of poverty, neglect, or trafficking. Yet, the issue remains largely unresolved despite several government clampdowns.

Phyna’s outburst has once again brought the debate to the forefront — balancing the reality of motorists’ frustrations with the deeper socio-economic questions about poverty, governance, and ethnic sensitivity in Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Watch the video below