Lagos Candidates Disagree On Flooding, Traffic, Housing, Education At Governorship Debate
Four candidates contesting the 2027 Lagos State governorship election have presented different approaches to tackling the state’s challenges of flooding, traffic congestion, housing, and education, with promises ranging from technology-driven environmental solutions and expanded public transportation to affordable homes and free education.
The candidates — Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Deji Doherty of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) — made their positions known on Sunday at a governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium in Lagos.
The debate featured competing assessments of the state’s development priorities, with the opposition candidates criticising aspects of the APC government’s record and Hamzat defending its policies while outlining plans to expand infrastructure and social services.
ON FLOODING
On flooding, Rhodes-Vivour blamed what he described as decades of bad governance for some of the challenges confronting Lagos residents, promising a technology-driven approach to environmental management if elected.
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is the ADC Governorship Candidate for the 2027 general elections.
The ADC candidate said his administration would prioritise the safety of residents and create a cleaner environment through policies that would address flooding and improve living conditions.
“All of us are experiencing the damage that has come from bad governance that has been endemic in this state for the last 20 years,” he said.
“We want a cleaner Lagos. We want a safer Lagos. We want a safer Lagos. We want a more affordable Lagos, and we want a Lagos that works for everybody, not just the privileged few.”
Hamzat, however, defended the state’s existing drainage infrastructure, describing its network as “fantastic”.
The APC candidate said the priority should be to ensure that the drainage channels remain free of blockages so that water can flow into the creeks.
ON TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION
On traffic and transportation, Hamzat outlined the APC government’s plans to improve mobility through rail, road and water transportation.
Obafemi Hamzat is the Deputy Governor of Lagos and the APC Governorship Candidate for the 2027 general elections.
He said the state was targeting the movement of 1 million passengers daily through 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses.
The Deputy Governor also disclosed plans to expand water transportation through 77 electric ferries, arguing that more commuters could be moved through the state’s waterways.
Defending the government’s investment in rail transportation, Hamzat said there was nowhere in Africa where the private sector had funded a rail system.
However, the ADC candidate said traffic jams should not be a lifestyle.
He disclosed that the improvement of water transportation and the provision for more infrastructure should be normalised.
ON HOUSING
Housing emerged as another area of competing priorities, with Rhodes-Vivour promising more than 100,000 housing units if elected.
The ADC candidate said the units would be made accessible to residents, arguing that successive APC administrations had prioritised the interests of the elite over the needs of people in rural communities.
He criticised the state’s emphasis on internally generated revenue (IGR), saying residents were not experiencing the benefits of the revenue generated.
“Lagos celebrates high IGR, yet people are not experiencing it,” he said, adding that his administration would direct policies towards residents struggling with the cost of living.
Hamzat, on his part, said the state had created 24 housing estates in the last eight years but acknowledged the need to expand access to quality accommodation.
He promised to make more mortgage facilities available to residents and complete ongoing housing projects in different parts of Lagos.
The APC candidate also pledged to enforce the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency Law, which mandates landlords to collect only one year’s rent rather than demand payment for multiple years.
He said the government would ensure compliance with the law to address arbitrary rent demands and make accommodation more accessible.
ON EDUCATION
On education, Doherty made one of the debate’s clearest social policy promises, pledging to make education completely free in Lagos if elected in 2027.
The NDC candidate said his administration would prioritise equipping residents with education and relevant skills to improve their lives.
Funsho Doherty is the NDC Governorship Candidate for the 2027 general elections.
He argued that no child should be denied an education because their parents could not afford the cost, stressing that free education must go beyond the removal of tuition fees.
“So, our policies are aimed at capacitating the people, giving them skills, ensuring that there is no child born in Lagos who does not get an education because their parents cannot afford it.
“We have said we will make education truly free, not nominally free. Truly free, so people will not pay exam fees; they will not be asked to come and pay taxes at a point when they have to write their exams,” Doherty said./CHANNELS TV
