The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, has pledged to overhaul the state’s public transit network and roll out long-term home loan initiatives to ease the cost of living for residents.
Speaking at Sunday’s Lagos Governorship Debate, the incumbent deputy governor addressed public concerns over persistent economic pressures despite the state’s substantial financial resources.
Hamzat acknowledged the severe cost-of-living challenges across the country, pointing to sharp spikes in fuel and food prices. However, he maintained that sub-national governments possess the necessary policy tools to shield citizens from severe hardship.
“Because Nigeria is undergoing a corrective session financially, things are a little bit tough for people,” Hamzat said. “Long-grain rice, for example, is N66,000, and petrol is N1,600. That’s high, but the levers that the state government can control are housing, agriculture and transportation.”
Outlining his mobility strategy, Hamzat emphasised the seamless integration of road, rail, and maritime transport to manage commuter traffic efficiently across the metropolis.
Key transit projects highlighted during the debate include extending the Lagos Rail Mass Transit Blue Line to Agbado, interconnecting it with the Red Line, developing major transport hubs such as the Trade Fair terminal, and expanding commuter ferry routes across the state’s lagoons.
“Lagos is a water state, and therefore we must turn the lagoon into a waterway,” Hamzat explained. “The idea is to build rail, road and water transportation so that they are all connected and move people en masse.”
He added that the state’s broader mass-transit programme includes the rollout of 34,000 buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) to provide cleaner and more economical road transport.
Turning to housing, Hamzat noted that the current administration had delivered 18,000 residential units across 24 housing schemes over the past eight years. To further lower barriers to property ownership, he proposed a mortgage framework requiring a 10 per cent down payment, with the remaining balance spread over a 25-year period.
“Our plan is to make sure that we don’t buy houses the way we buy yam and rice,” he stated. “That is to make sure that we have mortgages with a 10 per cent down payment and a 25-year payment plan, so that people can pay over time.”
Hamzat noted that this financing scheme will operate alongside ongoing residential developments, such as the 2,700-unit Ibeshe Housing Estate, allowing working-class residents to acquire homes without the burden of upfront lump-sum payments.
