Lagos Debate: oppositions fault housing, rent, taxes as Hamzat defends APC’s record – Businessday NG

Four Lagos governorship candidates have outlined competing approaches to the state’s housing crisis, rising cost of living, taxation and public services, with opposition candidates accusing successive administrations of prioritising the privileged while residents struggle to meet basic needs.

The candidates spoke at the 2026 Debate Consortium hosted by Channels Television and TVC on Sunday, where they presented their plans for addressing the challenges facing Lagos ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) said Lagos was operating below its economic potential, leaving residents with worsening living conditions despite paying taxes and multiple levies.

“We believe that Lagos is operating far below its potential, and as a result of that, you, Lagosians, are operating far below your potential, and your lives are getting more and more difficult. You pay your taxes, you pay endless levies and yet you are getting less and less for it,” Doherty said.

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, said successive administrations had pursued policies that favoured the wealthy at the expense of ordinary residents.

“Lagos government in over 20 years has been focused on elite policies that only favour the elite. What we are going to do is focus on people; the people that are struggling in Lagos State,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour said his administration would prioritise a cleaner, safer and more affordable city, adding that his political activism had consistently focused on the interests of ordinary citizens.

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“We want a cleaner Lagos, we want a safer Lagos, we want a more affordable Lagos, we want a Lagos that works for everybody, not just the privileged few. My manifesto and my activism before I got into politics has always stood with the people,” he said.

The debate also exposed differences in the candidates’ approaches to housing affordability, particularly rent increases and access to home ownership.

Responding to a question on whether Lagosians should continue working primarily to pay their landlords, Obafemi Hamzat, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, said the state had introduced a law requiring tenants to pay one year’s rent.

Hamzat said the next step was to enforce the law and encourage tenants to report violations.

“So there is a Lagos State Real Estate Registration Law that was passed last year, and it says tenants should pay one year’s rent. The next chapter is for Lagos to enforce… Our appeal is to citizens to make sure they use the site and communicate so we can track,” he said.

Hamzat also proposed expanding infrastructure and mortgage financing to address the state’s housing and transportation challenges.

He said his government would “build roads, rail, and water transportation to move people en masse,” while introducing mortgages requiring a 10 percent down payment and repayment over 25 years.

Rhodes-Vivour, however, called for stronger protections against arbitrary rent increases, arguing that tenants needed greater security in their dealings with landlords.

“There must be legislation that ensures that tenants are protected from arbitrary rent increases, at least giving six months’ notice before that happens,” he said.

He also proposed a feedback mechanism through which tenants could report landlords who violate the law, with government intervention to ensure accountability.

The PDP candidate, Adedeji Doherty, argued that government intervention in housing should focus on making affordable rental accommodation available to residents rather than relying solely on private landlords.

“There is no government that can control a landlord. What we are going to do is we are going to rent those houses ourselves, and you can now come to rent them from us if you want to,” he said.

Doherty also identified Lagos’ debt burden, oversized ministries, departments and agencies, and the lack of local government autonomy as factors contributing to the difficulties residents face despite the state’s wealth.

He said electricity was central to improving economic opportunities and reducing the cost of living.

“Power is wealth, and Lagos State needs power,” Doherty said, adding that he would seek to put money back into residents’ pockets from his first day in office.

He also questioned the feasibility of large-scale housing promises, saying he could not commit to building 150,000 houses within four years because of the cost of construction materials and factors beyond the state government’s control.

Doherty’s NDC counterpart, Funso Doherty, said housing shortages reflected the failure of supply to keep pace with population growth.

“The problem (housing) that exists today was not created in one year. It is because housing supply has not kept up with growth in demand,” he said.

He also proposed free education and skills development as part of a broader effort to reduce the financial pressures on households.

“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 free; truly free,” he said.

Hamzat, in his opening remarks, urged voters to assess his experience and plans before deciding who should lead the state.

“Femi Hamzat knows the city, knows the people and knows the work. Distinguished Lagosians, judge my plan like you want to hire anybody; judge my pedigree like you want to hire anybody who will manage your family. That is our commitment,” he said.

The debate comes as candidates seek to distinguish their proposals on housing, transportation, education and the cost of doing business in Lagos, where residents continue to face pressure from rising living costs and limited access to affordable public services.

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