These challenges will take centre stage on Friday when the six governorship candidates meet with the organised private sector at the BusinessDay Town Hall ahead of the February 6, 2027 governorship election.<\/p>\n
The candidates are Kadri Obafemi Hamzat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Laja Adeoye of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Olufunso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Adedeji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Oluwapamilerin Olurotimi Odunaike of the Labour Party (LP).\n<\/p>\n
Their proposals range from expanding industrial parks and electricity supply to building affordable homes, reforming public procurement, improving transport and protecting citizens from arbitrary enforcement.\n<\/p>\n
The Town Hall offers an opportunity for business leaders to examine not only their ambitions but also the financing, implementation and regulatory frameworks behind them.\n<\/p>\n
1. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (APC): Building on continuity, technology and industrial expansion<\/h3>\n
Hamzat, the APC governorship candidate, is seeking to build on his experience within Lagos\u2019 political and administrative establishment, where he has served as commissioner and deputy governor.\n<\/p>\n
Born on September 19, 1964, in Lagos, Hamzat comes from a family with a long history in public service. His father, the late Oba Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, served in the Lagos State House of Assembly and as commissioner for transportation between 1979 and 1983 under Governor Lateef Jakande.<\/p>\n
Hamzat\u2019s academic background is in engineering. He obtained a bachelor\u2019s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Ibadan in 1986 and a master\u2019s degree in crop processing engineering in 1988. He later earned a PhD in process systems engineering from Cranfield University in the United Kingdom in 1992.\n<\/p>\n
Before entering public service, he worked in systems architecture and corporate finance, including roles at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. He subsequently returned to Nigeria and became chief information officer and group head of IT strategy at Oando Plc.\n<\/p>\n
His transition into government began in 2005 when then-governor Bola Tinubu appointed him commissioner for science and technology. He continued in the role under Babatunde Fashola until 2011, before becoming commissioner for works and infrastructure from 2011 to 2015.\n<\/p>\n
Read also:\u00a0APM uploads Laja Adeoye as Lagos governorship candidate, intensifies grassroots push for 2027<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Hamzat later served as special adviser on works to the federal minister of power, works and housing. He became Babajide Sanwo-Olu\u2019s running mate in 2019 and was sworn in as deputy governor that year. He was re-elected in 2023.<\/p>\n The Lagos PROMISE<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Hamzat\u2019s blueprint, titled The Lagos PROMISE, centres on expanding the state\u2019s economy, increasing investment, developing industrial infrastructure and using technology to improve government efficiency.\n<\/p>\n The plan targets an increase in annual capital investment from N1 trillion to N5 trillion by 2031 through the Invest in Lagos platform and an investment deal book.\n<\/p>\n For businesses, one of the central proposals is to expand the number of registered micro, small and medium enterprises from 120,000 to one million by 2031.\n<\/p>\n His plan includes a N10 billion credit facility through the Lagos State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Credit Agency, with 50 percent of the allocation reserved for women-led enterprises.<\/p>\n Hamzat also proposes establishing four industrial parks in Epe, Badagry, Ikorodu and Ojo. The parks are intended to strengthen industrial production, expand commercial activity and support employment.\n<\/p>\n His energy proposal targets increasing grid electricity supply from approximately 1,000 megawatts to 3,500 megawatts by 2031 through a four-stage electricity market framework involving the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission, Eko Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electric.\n<\/p>\n The plan also includes expanding the state\u2019s fibre-optic duct network from 2,700 kilometres to 6,800 kilometres, completing the Blue Line rail to Okokomaiko and introducing a Lagos First-Buyer Policy that would allocate 10 percent of public procurement to local technology innovations.\n<\/p>\n On housing, Hamzat proposes 20-year mortgage structures with a 10 percent initial down payment.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a02027: Accord Party unveils Lagos governorship, Senatorial candidates, reaffirms Gbenga Hashim\u2019s presidential bid<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n His administration\u2019s approach to revenue is to widen the tax base without increasing rates, harmonise municipal levies, digitise land administration and improve public-sector efficiency.\n<\/p>\n Adeoye, the Allied Peoples Movement candidate, brings experience in corporate banking, property development and entrepreneurship to the governorship contest.\n<\/p>\n Born on May 2, 1981, he has ancestral connections to both the Ijebu communities of Lagos East and the Awori communities of Lagos West. He subsequently earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in mathematics education from the University of Lagos, where he founded the student organisation The Patriots, and a master\u2019s degree in property development and management from Lead City University.\n<\/p>\n Adeoye began his professional career in corporate banking at Keystone Bank, where he worked on credit risk assessment, financial management and corporate governance.<\/p>\n He later moved into property development and energy-related businesses, becoming group managing director and chief executive officer of Fendini Group.\n<\/p>\n The company has undertaken residential developments, delivering more than 400 housing units. Adeoye also established Adwood and Alphabetia, extending his interests into media strategy and project management.\n<\/p>\n Politically, Adeoye entered Lagos politics in 2009 through the PDP before moving to the APM, where he secured the governorship nomination through a consensus process on May 28, 2026.\n<\/p>\n \u00c0t\u00fant\u00f2 \u00c8k\u00f3 1.0<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Adeoye\u2019s \u00c0t\u00fant\u00f2 \u00c8k\u00f3 1.0, or Reset Lagos Agenda, focuses on employment, electricity, healthcare, infrastructure and municipal efficiency.<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0Rhodes-Vivour clinches ADC Lagos governorship ticket ahead of 2027 race<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n His employment target is to create 100,000 verifiable jobs within two years through public infrastructure projects, artisan credit facilities and vocational incubators.\n<\/p>\n The proposal is particularly relevant to small businesses and informal-sector operators, who face limited access to finance and skills development.\n<\/p>\n On electricity, Adeoye proposes deploying 2,000 megawatts through independent power projects, off-grid municipal solar networks and clean mini-grids.\n<\/p>\n Unlike Hamzat\u2019s emphasis on expanding electricity supply through a state regulatory framework, Adeoye\u2019s proposal relies more directly on independent power generation and decentralised energy systems.<\/p>\n His health blueprint includes upgrading 300 primary healthcare centres across Lagos\u2019 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.\n<\/p>\n In transport, he proposes completing the Fourth Mainland Bridge and undertaking channelisation projects to control seasonal flooding.\n<\/p>\n His education policy would restructure public secondary schools around science, technology, engineering and mathematics, alongside technical and vocational education and training.\n<\/p>\n For the private sector, Adeoye\u2019s central proposition is that infrastructure spending can generate employment while improving access to electricity, transport and healthcare.\n<\/p>\n The challenge is to establish the cost of the proposed projects, the financing arrangements for independent power generation and the mechanisms for measuring the promised 100,000 jobs.<\/p>\n Read also: 2027 Presidential poll: Why Anambra, Adamawa, Benue, Edo, Kaduna, Lagos, Rivers are potential battlegrounds<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Rhodes-Vivour, who contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election under the Labour Party, is returning to the race on the platform of the African Democratic Congress.\n<\/p>\n Born on March 8, 1983, on Lagos Island and raised in Ikeja, he comes from a family with a long history in law and public service.\n<\/p>\n His father is Barrister Olawale Rhodes-Vivour, while his grandfather was jurist Akinwunmi Rhodes-Vivour. His uncle, Bode Rhodes-Vivour, served as a justice of the Supreme Court.\n<\/p>\n Rhodes-Vivour attended Chrisland Schools in Lagos and completed his secondary education at \u00c9cole Active Bilingue in Paris.<\/p>\n He obtained a bachelor\u2019s degree in architecture from the University of Nottingham and a master\u2019s degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\n<\/p>\n After completing his National Youth Service Corps programme in 2008\u20132009, he earned another master\u2019s degree in research and public policy from the University of Lagos.\n<\/p>\n He practised architecture in the United Kingdom before returning to Nigeria, where he worked with several architectural firms.\n<\/p>\n He later founded Spatial Tectonics, an architecture practice focused on cost-effective building materials and construction.\n<\/p>\n He is also a partner in Multi Development Construction Corporation and serves on the boards of HomeQube Ltd, E-Terra Technologies and Alkebulan Agro-Allied.<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0Jandor withdraws from Lagos governorship race, cites Tinubu\u2019s endorsement of Hamzat<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n His political career includes contesting the Ikeja local government chairmanship in 2017 and the Lagos West senatorial seat in 2019.\n<\/p>\n In 2023, he contested the Lagos governorship election under the Labour Party, finishing second with 312,365 votes.\n<\/p>\n For the 2027 election, he secured the ADC ticket, with property developer Babatunde Gbadamosi as his running mate.\n<\/p>\n Urban regeneration and heritage architecture<\/strong><\/p>\n Rhodes-Vivour\u2019s blueprint prioritises affordable housing, public transport, environmental management and governance transparency.\n<\/p>\n He proposes constructing 100,000 housing units over four years using flexible micro-payment arrangements.\n<\/p>\n The housing programme would also serve as a skills-development platform, with construction sites providing technical training for young people in tiling, masonry, POP installation and electrical wiring.\n<\/p>\n His transport proposal includes expanding commuter rail corridors through private concessionaires.\n<\/p>\n On waste management, he advocates decentralising municipal services to local councils and creating waste-to-wealth enterprises focused on plastic and organic recycling.<\/p>\n He also proposes preserving coastal wetlands to reduce flooding and improve environmental resilience.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0Adeoye declares for Lagos governorship, says residents tired of APC rule<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n His governance agenda includes expanding public access to artificial intelligence tools, establishing a dedicated ministry of culture to protect the Yoruba language and heritage, eliminating budget padding and measuring government performance through improvements in maternal health, education and slum rehabilitation.\n<\/p>\n Funso Doherty, the Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate, is positioning himself around financial management, public accountability and social investment.\n<\/p>\n Born in 1968 into the Doherty family of Lagos Island, he is the son of Henry Doherty, an early indigenous medical doctor, and grandson of merchant J.H. Doherty.<\/p>\n He attended King\u2019s College, Lagos, before earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in accounting from the University of Lagos in 1990.\n<\/p>\n He later obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2001. Doherty is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and a chartered financial analyst. He is also a co-founding trustee of the CFA Society Nigeria.\n<\/p>\n His professional career spans corporate finance, asset management and pension administration.\n<\/p>\n He held executive positions at Asset & Resource Management Company and served as managing director and chief executive officer of PAL Pensions, where he oversaw more than N500 billion in institutional assets under management.\n<\/p>\n In 2023, Doherty became more prominent in public finance advocacy, publishing analyses of Lagos State procurement records and questioning inflated contract line items.<\/p>\n He contested the 2023 Lagos governorship election under the African Democratic Congress before joining the NDC in 2026.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0Doherty declares Lagos governorship bid, slams inequality, governance gaps<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n On October 8, 2026, the NDC presented Moriam Tolani Animashaun as his running mate alongside his policy platform, \u1ecc\u0300n\u00e0 Tuntun.\n<\/p>\n \u1ecc\u0300n\u00e0 Tuntun: Accountability and direct public investment<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Doherty\u2019s agenda places public procurement integrity, social services and institutional accountability at the centre of his proposed administration. His education policy proposes completely free public primary and secondary education, covering tuition, textbooks, external examination fees for WAEC and NECO, daily school meals and transportation for students in uniform.\n<\/p>\n In healthcare, he proposes free medical services, including essential medications, for pregnant women and children up to age 16.\n<\/p>\n For public finance, Doherty\u2019s central proposal is to introduce live electronic bidding for state procurement contracts and publish comprehensive debt-service audits.\n<\/p>\n He also proposes allocating state capital directly to expanding intermodal public transport, including buses, ferries and rail.\n<\/p>\n His approach differs from Hamzat\u2019s focus on investment expansion and administrative automation by placing expenditure transparency and public-service delivery at the centre of economic governance.<\/p>\n Adedeji Doherty, the PDP candidate, brings engineering, commercial logistics, manufacturing and corporate restructuring experience to the contest.\n<\/p>\n A civil engineer by training, he has spent more than three decades working across engineering procurement, logistics, manufacturing and real estate.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a02027: How Adelabu was edged out of Oyo governorship race<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n He comes from a long-established Lagos Island family and has built his professional career around managing commercial operations and financial obligations.\n<\/p>\n One of the defining experiences in his corporate background was restructuring a business group carrying N3.8 billion in institutional bank debt.<\/p>\n He spent seven years restructuring the liabilities without defaulting, an experience he presents as relevant to managing public finances.\n<\/p>\n Doherty is also a long-standing PDP figure in Lagos. He served as the party\u2019s state chairman and acting national vice-chairman for the South-West.\n<\/p>\n After contesting the PDP governorship primaries in 2015 and 2019, he secured the party\u2019s 2027 nomination through a consensus process.\n<\/p>\n Industrial Energy Emergency<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Doherty\u2019s blueprint focuses on electricity distribution, industrial partnerships, transport infrastructure and the protection of indigenous land rights.<\/p>\n His most prominent energy proposal is to declare a state of emergency on electricity distribution companies operating in Lagos.\n<\/p>\n The plan would use state regulatory mechanisms to compel infrastructure upgrades and expand electricity supply. In healthcare, he proposes negotiating equity partnerships with domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers to establish a Cheaper-Medicines Card, giving residents access to essential drugs at lower prices.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0Violence-free polls assurances face execution test in Lagos<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n For transport, he proposes constructing four-to-six-kilometre foreshore bridges along the eastern foreshore corridor to divert arterial traffic.<\/p>\n His land policy includes creating a formal registry for indigenous Lagosians to protect rights relating to bursaries, civil service quotas and ancestral land claims.\n<\/p>\n He also proposes reviewing past land acquisitions.\n<\/p>\n Other elements of his blueprint include constructing 40 technical and vocational education schools, acquiring a state-owned heavy compactor fleet for waste processing, integrating CCTV networks with solar streetlights and abolishing informal transport union extortion.\n<\/p>\n Doherty\u2019s programme is particularly relevant to manufacturers and commercial operators concerned about electricity costs, logistics and informal charges.\n<\/p>\n Odunaike, the Labour Party candidate, is presenting a governance platform built around public-sector reform, urban productivity and a more inclusive distribution of revenue.<\/p>\n Aged 49, he holds a bachelor\u2019s degree and an MBA and has worked as a corporate strategist, management executive and organisational consultant.\n<\/p>\n Within the Labour Party, he led reconciliation initiatives after the 2023 election, working to unify local government chapters ahead of the 2027 contest.\n<\/p>\n He secured the party\u2019s governorship nomination on October 16, 2026. Read also:\u00a0Lagos decides: Hamzat, Rhodes-Vivour, Dohertys clash over transport, health, housing, cost of living, others<\/a><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n A New Lagos For All<\/strong><\/p>\n Odunaike\u2019s manifesto, A New Lagos For All, is a 162-page policy document that frames the state\u2019s urban challenges as questions of productivity, access and governance.\n<\/p>\n His transport agenda proposes synchronised traffic management, expanded high-capacity water transport and dedicated bus corridors.\n<\/p>\n The central argument is that congestion is not merely a mobility problem but a constraint on the productivity of workers, businesses and the wider economy.\n<\/p>\n His economic platform focuses on distributing state tax revenues into municipal social safety nets and infrastructure across all local governments.\n<\/p>\n He also proposes replacing political patronage with merit-based appointments in the civil service.<\/p>\n His governance framework emphasises compliance with judicial decisions, reform of LASTMA and task-force enforcement, and the preservation of citizens\u2019 rights.\n<\/p>\n Odunaike\u2019s approach differs from the other candidates in its emphasis on institutional reform and the distribution of revenue rather than headline targets for industrial parks, electricity capacity or housing delivery.\n<\/p>\n BusinessDay observed that the candidates\u2019 proposals reveal different approaches to Lagos\u2019 economic challenges.\n<\/p>\n Hamzat\u2019s APC platform emphasises continuity, investment expansion, industrial parks, electricity market reform and technology-driven government.\n<\/p>\n Read also:\u00a0Adeoye camp faults exclusion from Gen Z town hall with Lagos guber candidates<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Adeoye\u2019s APM agenda focuses on employment, independent power projects, healthcare infrastructure and major transport projects.\n<\/p>\n Rhodes-Vivour\u2019s ADC platform places housing, urban regeneration, environmental management and decentralised municipal services at the centre of governance.\n<\/p>\n Funso Doherty\u2019s NDC agenda emphasises public procurement transparency, social investment, affordable housing and free basic services.\n<\/p>\n Adedeji Doherty\u2019s PDP blueprint prioritises electricity distribution reform, industrial partnerships, transport infrastructure and indigenous land protection.\n<\/p>\n Odunaike\u2019s Labour Party programme focuses on urban productivity, inclusive revenue distribution, public-sector reform and citizens\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n The proposals address many of the same problems but differ in the role assigned to government, private capital and local institutions.\n<\/p>\n The central issue for businesses is whether the candidates can translate their proposals into funded, measurable and implementable programmes.<\/p>\n Taofeek Oyedokun is a correspondent at BusinessDay with years of experience reporting on political economy, public policy, migration, environment\/climate change, and social justice. A graduate of Political Science from the University of Lagos, he has also earned multiple professional certificates in journalism and media-related training. Known for his clear, data-driven reporting, Oyedokun covers a wide range of national and international socioeconomic issues, bringing depth, balance, and public-interest focus to his work.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Source: <\/p>\n From industrial expansion and independent power projects to affordable housing, public procurement reform and transport infrastructure, the six gubernatorial candidates set to face the organised private sector at the BusinessDay… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15550,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Laja Adeoye (APM): Jobs, independent power and infrastructure delivery<\/h3>\n
He attended Christ Ambassadors College in Kaduna before obtaining a diploma in computer science from the Federal Polytechnic, Bida. During his time there, he served as assistant secretary-general of the student union government.\n<\/p>\n3. Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour (ADC): Housing, urban regeneration and decentralised services<\/h3>\n
4. Olufunso Adesina Doherty (NDC): Public finance reform and social investment<\/h3>\n
His housing plan targets 150,000 low-income housing units during his first term, with the government taking a direct role in addressing the state\u2019s housing deficit.<\/p>\n5. Adedeji Doherty (PDP): Industrial energy, land rights and infrastructure<\/h3>\n
His proposal is aimed at addressing the electricity constraints facing manufacturing businesses, commercial operators and small enterprises.\n<\/p>\n6. Oluwapamilerin Olurotimi Odunaike (LP): Productivity, inclusive revenue and institutional reform<\/h3>\n
His running mate is Lateef Adekunle Adele, a corporate executive and grandson of Oba Adeniji Adele II.\n<\/p>\nSix candidates, competing economic priorities<\/h3>\n
Related News<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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