Lagos debate: Doherty, GRV fault govt over traffic, flooding, housing

Opposition governorship candidates in Lagos State have accused successive administrations of failing to address the structural problems behind traffic congestion, flooding, unaffordable housing and the rising cost of living, with one alleging that vested interests have frustrated efforts to reform public transportation.

The candidates made the criticisms during the opening of the 2026 series of election debates being hosted by the 2026 Debate Consortium, a partnership of PUNCH Nigeria Limited, Channels TV, TVC, The Cable and Vanguard Newspaper.

They challenged the state government’s handling of infrastructure and urban development, while the All Progressives Congress candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, defended its record and outlined areas for further intervention.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress candidate, Funso Doherty, blamed the continued use of ageing commercial buses and the influence of transport operators for the failure to modernise public transportation, arguing that the problem was not merely a question of infrastructure but political will.

“Our public transportation system is not modernised. Thousands of rickety buses are moving around. We must ask ourselves: are these what our people deserve? Why has it taken so long to modernise public transportation?”

Doherty alleged that vested interests had benefited from the existing arrangement, particularly the informal transport structure commonly associated with agberos, and accused successive governments of lacking the resolve to dismantle it.

“In my opinion, the lack of a modern transportation system is not by accident. There are vested interests in operating the bus system the way it is. Many of us understand this notion of the agbero system that people talk about. There is no political will to deal with that problem,” he said.

The debate also exposed sharp disagreements over the state’s response to flooding and the disruption of movement whenever heavy rainfall occurs.

The African Democratic Congress candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, attributed the recurring flooding and traffic paralysis to poor planning and a lack of long-term vision, warning that development decisions in Lagos’s coastal environment must account for climate risks.

He criticised the reported sand-filling of parts of Makoko, arguing that the government risked worsening future flooding if environmental consequences were ignored.

“Anybody who is going to be a governor of a low-lying coastal state should be visionary, should be looking at what Japan and the Netherlands are doing. You see them trying to sandfill Makoko now… in about three years’ time, somebody will come and say climate change when Lagos mainland is flooding,” he said.

Hamzat, however, described climate change as a major threat to Lagos and identified excessive rainfall among the state’s existential challenges.

He said the state had an extensive drainage network but needed to ensure that drains remained clear to function effectively.

Doherty rejected the suggestion that climate change adequately explained the city’s recurring flooding, insisting that government planning and maintenance were decisive factors.

“Yes, we are in a coastal environment. It is all about the failure of the government. If you manage it appropriately, we will not have problems way down the line. Yes, we know there is climate change. Lagos is not the only city facing climate change,” he said.

Later on, fact-checkers at the debate would highlight that the popular assumption that has for decades excused environmental misplanning- that Lagos lies below sea level – is factually incorrect.

On housing, the candidates offered contrasting solutions to rising rents and exploitative practices by landlords.

Hamzat said the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority law, passed in 2025, provides for the payment of one year’s rent and that the government’s next priority should be enforcement.

Rhodes-Vivour called for legislation to protect tenants from arbitrary increases, proposing that landlords should give at least six months’ notice before raising rents.

Doherty argued that the deeper problem was a shortage of housing relative to population growth, saying the state needed to increase supply rather than rely solely on regulating landlords.

“The larger solution to the problem is actually around the supply of housing. The problem that exists today was not created in one year. It is because housing supply has not kept up with the growth in demand,” he said.

The Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Deji Doherty, proposed a different approach, saying the government could build or rent houses and make them available to residents.

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

The debate also turned to the disparity between Lagos’s economic wealth and the financial difficulties faced by many residents.

Rhodes-Vivour accused the state government of pursuing policies that disproportionately benefited the wealthy over the past two decades.

“Lagos state government in the last 20 years has been focused on elite policies that only favour the elites,” he said.

Doherty said his proposed policies would focus on building people’s capacity through skills development and ensuring that no child was denied education because their parents could not afford it.

Hamzat acknowledged the economic hardship facing residents, describing the country as undergoing a financial correction, but said the state government could intervene more directly in housing, agriculture and transportation.

Doherty said his decision to contest was driven by his belief that Lagos was performing below its potential and that residents were not benefiting fully from the state’s economic opportunities.

“Why are we running? We believe that Lagos is operating far below its potential. As a result of that, you, Lagosians, are operating far below your potential,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour said his ambition was to build a state that worked for all residents rather than a privileged minority.

“All of us are experiencing the damage that comes from bad leadership and has been endemic in this state over the last 20 years. We want a cleaner Lagos, safer Lagos, affordable Lagos. We want a Lagos that works for everybody, not just for the privileged few,” he said.

Rhodes-Vivour promised to introduce cable car services and expand rail and water transportation as part of plans to tackle the persistent traffic congestion in the state.

Rhodes-Vivour said the proposed rail infrastructure could be delivered within two and a half years through private sector participation and infrastructure financing, rather than placing the financial burden entirely on the state government.

He argued that the project was commercially viable and could generate enough revenue to repay investments over 30 years.

The governorship candidate also proposed expanding the eastern foreshore and constructing shorter bridges to connect communities around the Ibeju-Lekki axis with other parts of Lagos.