Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 election, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, has pledged reforms in transportation, housing, security and business regulation, alongside a proposed ₦500 billion agricultural guarantee scheme, if elected governor.
Hamzat unveiled the proposals at an engagement organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in collaboration with the Contact and Mobilisation Committee, Formal Sector for PBAT and KOH, in Victoria Island, Lagos.
His Promise Agenda, titled “An Afternoon to Discuss the Facts and Figures of Lagos State: The 8th Largest Economy in Africa,” was presented as a social contract with residents, with implementation proposed to begin on May 29, 2027, if he wins the election.
On transportation, Hamzat said traffic congestion cost Lagos an estimated ₦1 trillion annually and residents spent an average of four hours daily in traffic, stressing that vehicle density in the state stands at 212 vehicles per kilometre, compared with the national average of 16.
He said the state had identified 63 traffic junctions for improvement and addressed 33, while plans included expanding Bus Rapid Transit services, improving terminals, developing rail infrastructure and increasing water transportation.
Hamzat said his proposed administration would prioritise ferry terminals and waterway connections linking communities, including Ikorodu and Badagry, alongside improved pedestrian walkways and better-organised bus terminals.
He also pledged to plant 10 million trees within four years and said the completion of an ongoing water infrastructure project would extend access to water to an additional six million people.
On employment and business growth, Hamzat said the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund had supported businesses and helped activate about 340,000 jobs since 2019.
He promised stronger mentorship and business management support for small enterprises, as well as harmonised government levies and regulatory processes to reduce the burden on businesses.
He said four industrial parks were proposed for Epe, Badagry, Ikorodu and Ojo under the state’s 2025 to 2030 industrial policy.
Hamzat also cited plans to expand Lagos’s fibre-optic network from 1,000 kilometres to 6,000 kilometres, reduce broadband costs and give qualified Nigerian technology companies priority in government procurement.
On food security, he said the state was developing a 420-hectare food logistics hub and cold-chain network to reduce food wastage, improve storage and lower the cost of moving produce from farms to markets.
He said cold-chain facilities in Mushin and Gbagada had helped market women reduce logistics costs by 40 per cent, while the government planned to expand medium-scale markets and facilitate the purchase and distribution of locally produced food.
The proposed ₦500 billion guarantee scheme, he added, would support farmers.
On housing, Hamzat promised to work with private developers to increase the supply of affordable homes, including exploring housing and mortgage arrangements for young people and low-income earners.
He also said the state was working with the judiciary to increase the civil jurisdiction of magistrates’ courts from ₦10 million to ₦15 million, with the aim of reducing the backlog of cases in the High Courts.
According to the deputy governor, the state government also wants landlord-tenant disputes resolved within three months and plans to establish more courts.
On security, he said Lagos had about 6,800 personnel in its safety agency and was recruiting another 2,500, nothing that he personnel could provide a foundation for state policing if the necessary constitutional approval was secured.
Hamzat further disclosed that 198 people had been prosecuted for domestic violence and pledged stronger support for survivors.
He said the state planned to allocate five per cent of its business support to women-led enterprises and would pay 40 per cent of stipends for trainees placed with companies under vocational and technical training programmes.
He also promised to strengthen child protection by ensuring that children below 18 were either in school or acquiring vocational skills, adding the proposed commitments would be tied to measurable targets to enable residents to assess government performance and hold the administration accountable.
Earlier, LCCI President, Leye Kupoluyi said the engagement provided the business community with an opportunity to assess the economic policies and development priorities of prospective political leaders.
Kupoluyi identified reducing the cost of doing business, improving infrastructure and mobility, reforming taxation and regulation, attracting investment and supporting small and medium-scale enterprises as priorities for the next administration.
He said high energy and logistics costs, traffic congestion, freight bottlenecks and regulatory challenges continued to affect productivity, calling for better access to capital, technology and markets for small businesses.
On his part, LCCI Deputy President, Knit Ulvmoen called for greater investment in local manufacturing to reduce dependence on imported finished goods.
He identified agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles, petrochemicals and renewable energy as sectors with potential for domestic production and value addition.
Also speaking, Managing Director of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, urged the Lagos government to make land assets more accessible to investors, describing real estate as a major source of development capital.
He said unlocking the value of land could attract domestic investment, expand funding for infrastructure and support Lagos’s ambition to become a leading global financial centre.