UPDATED: “I will allow LGAs function as required by law and have access to own resources to do so, if elected as Governor” – Funso Doherty

MAIN POINTS:

*Says he will make education including books, healthcare for mother and child entirely free

*Vows to return government to its responsibilities to fix problems of increasing begging, housing and transport hardship in Lagos

By KEMI KASUMU and OUR REPORTER, Abuja

The programme, which was widely broadcast on national television stations and monitored via Arise Television by The DEFENDER’s Reporter in Abuja, featured discussions on some of the major challenges confronting Lagos residents, including waste disposal, healthcare delivery, dilapidated road infrastructure and the increasing incidence of begging and menace of transportation inconveniences inflicted by agbero and touts in a way that is particularly causing embarrassment for a state economy generally believed to be the biggest in Nigeria and number five in Africa.

Governorship Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos State for 2027, Mr. Funso Doherty, has promised free education and textbooks as part of his plans in the first 100 days if elected as governor of the state in the 2027 election.

Doherty spoke on Thursday, October 1, 2026, during The Platform Townhall, where governorship candidates of political parties were provided opportunity to discuss their plans for Lagos State and respond to questions from participants.

He described the increasing hardship confronting residents of the state as unfortunate, blaming the situation on what he described as the government’s abandonment of its responsibilities to unaccountable private individuals.

The programme, which was widely broadcast on national television stations and monitored via Arise Television by The DEFENDER’s Reporter in Abuja, featured discussions on some of the major challenges confronting Lagos residents, including waste disposal, healthcare delivery, dilapidated road infrastructure and the increasing incidence of begging and menace of transportation inconveniences inflicted by agbero and touts in a way that is particularly causing embarrassment for a state economy generally believed to be the biggest in Nigeria and number five in Africa.

According to Doherty, many of the challenges facing residents are a consequence of the government leaving its responsibilities in the hands of individuals who are not accountable to the people.

He said if elected, his administration would restore the government to its proper role, stressing that governments in cities around the world, particularly a megacity like Lagos, could not afford to abdicate their responsibilities to private individuals while taking a back seat.

When specifically asked about the issue of increasing begging in Lagos State and what his plans were for the first 100 days if elected as Lagos State governor, the NDC governorship candidate attributed much of the poverty pushing people into begging for lack of access to affordable yet quality education and healthcare.

He, therefore, promised that, if elected, his administration would “make education entirely free, including textbooks and exam fees”. He also said his administration would ensure that healthcare delivery and drugs are made available free for at least mother and child.

In his own words, Funso Doherty said, “We will also provide one nutritious meal for every kid in public school. We will also provide a programme by which kids who are in public schools are transported free to school if they need it.”

The Lagos NDC governorship flagbearer added that by so doing, its government would ensure that “education is not denied to any child”.

“Because the children, given our demographics, are the hope of the future and will be the time bomb of the future,” Doherty said.

“The other thing that you can expect from us is that there will be truly free healthcare and maternal and child healthcare.”

On housing he said, “Now, our plan for housing is not one that delivers 200 units or 300 units. We have a quantum approach to housing. 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,” he added.

On road infrastructure, Doherty said his administration would ensure that roads are maintained before they become deteriorated to the point of requiring major rehabilitation or new contracts.

He promised to reactivate the state’s road maintenance agency and ensure that it functions effectively, adding that the agency would be decentralised to have a presence in every local government area.

He also pledged to ensure adequate funding for the agency so that no part of Lagos would be left without effective government presence in road maintenance.

Funsho Doherty further said his administration would allow local governments to function effectively by enabling them to perform their constitutional responsibilities and have access to the resources required to discharge those responsibilities.

Addressing the challenge of transportation, Doherty said the government should not absolve itself of responsibility for the effective operation of the transport system.

He said Lagos residents should be able to access buses that are not only clean and in good condition but also safe, without exposing commuters to the risk of robbery.

Speaking on the activities of Agberos and touts in the transportation sector, the chartered accountant and successful entrepreneur said many of those involved might have entered the trade because of a lack of education and skills, while others could be victims of exploitation by individuals higher up the system.

To address the situation, he promised to establish 40 technical schools across Lagos State to provide vocational training for young people after secondary school and equip them with practical skills that would enable them to earn a living within a short period.

Areas of training to make the unskilled become skilled and better people will include electrical work, automobile mechanics, painting, tailoring and other technical and vocational trades, according to Funso Doherty’s submission.

He also discussed what he would do about waste management part of the area he blamed on government negligence that would fix, if ejected as governor, adding that a city like Lagos dies not deserve indiscriminate dumping if waste littering everywhere.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH FUNSO DOHERTY’S DISCUSSION IN PART