Three men want to govern Lagos. On Thursday, they shared a stage. The Platform, a thought leadership initiative of The Covenant Nation, hosted a town hall. Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the ADC candidate, spoke. Obafemi Hamzat, the APC candidate and incumbent deputy governor, spoke. Funso Doherty, the NDC candidate, spoke. Each had a plan. Each plan was different.
The Platform has hosted presidential and governorship candidates since 2018. It is Independence Day programming. Candidates face questions from a live audience. The format rewards substance. It punishes platitudes. Lagos is the prize. It is Nigeria’s commercial capital. It is the most complex state to govern. Housing, transport and business costs are the perennial issues. Every candidate promises to solve them. Few do.
Rhodes-Vivour’s plan
Rhodes-Vivour is an architect. He was the Labour Party candidate in 2023. He came second. He is now the ADC candidate. His plan is housing and transport.
“We aim to deliver 100,000 housing units in four years,” he said. He invoked the memory of Lateef Jakande, the governor who built mass housing in the 1980s. The goal is to increase supply. He said his administration would localise skills training at ward level. “We are going to take the thugs off the streets by giving them a different pathway to be productive members of society,” he said. If you want to learn tiling, bricklaying or POP, you can learn it for free at your ward level. These are the people we will engage in our housing revolution.”
On transport, he was specific. “We are going to create a truly multimodal and affordable means of transportation all over Lagos State. We are going to do all the lines in two years.” He said private sector partnerships would finance rail expansion. He also promised help desks for young people who face police intimidation. “We are also traumatised from the EndSARS. If any young person is intimidated by the police, there’s a number that they can call, and we have lawyers who will look to ensure that if they are unfairly being treated, it will be handled.”
He also promised to decentralise waste management. Local governments would be empowered. A waste-to-wealth value chain would produce energy from waste.
Hamzat’s plan
Hamzat is the incumbent. He is the APC candidate. He won the primary with 657,917 votes. His sole challenger received one vote. His plan is business costs.
“What we will do is to make sure that any levy that is unauthorised, that is not known, that even we can’t track, must go,” he said. He promised to eliminate roadside collections. “Nobody should stand at junctions to collect anything from anybody.” He said businesses must know what they are required to pay. “The moment I pay it, they must leave me alone. We must not be pulling the rug on businesses.”
He said the state would establish an economic council to coordinate with local governments. The goal is to harmonise levies. He also promised training for small businesses. “A lot of SMEs don’t last long, not because they are not making money, but they don’t understand bookkeeping,” he said. The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund is working with King’s Trust to expand support.
His agenda is called “My Lagos dream.” He said it centres on job creation, infrastructure, education, healthcare and security. He said Lagos must sustain its position as Africa’s leading commercial hub.
Doherty’s plan
Doherty is the NDC candidate. His plan is free services. He spoke last. His promises were the most expansive. He said his first 100 days would be transformative.
“Education entirely free, including books and exam fees,” he said. “One nutritious meal for every kid in public school. Free transport to school if they need it. Truly free healthcare and maternal and child healthcare.”
He framed the urgency in demographic terms. “The children, given our demographics, are the hope of the future and will be the time bomb of the future,” he said. “Education is not denied to any child.”
On housing, he rejected incrementalism. “Our plan for housing is not one that delivers 200 units or 300 units. We have a quantum approach. Our commitment is to deliver about 150,000 units in our first term because a large part of the problem with housing is the fact that supply has not kept up with the demand.”
Winners: The Covenant Nation, which hosted a substantive debate. Voters, who heard three distinct visions. Rhodes-Vivour, who gains a platform. Hamzat, who defends his record. Doherty, who introduces himself. Losers: Candidates not invited. Parties that rely on slogans instead of policy. Voters who did not attend. The event, if the promises are forgotten after the election.
Bottom Line: Three men, one stage, three Lagos dreams. Rhodes-Vivour wants 100,000 homes and rail. Hamzat wants to cut levies and let businesses breathe. Doherty wants free education, free healthcare and 150,000 homes. The promises are bold. Lagos needs bold. The election will decide which vision wins. The city will decide whether the winner delivers.