Hamzat Unveils 100-Point Manifesto, Pledges 4,000 Buses, New Hospitals, Affordable Housing

The Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has unveiled a 100-point development agenda, promising major investments in transportation, healthcare, education, housing, security and employment if elected governor in 2027.

Hamzat, who is currently the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, presented the manifesto, titled The Lagos Promise (Ileri Eko), on Friday at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts, Lagos.

The policy document is structured around seven major pillars, outlining his proposed direction for the state and commitments to residents across different sectors.

A major highlight of the transportation agenda is a plan to increase the Lagos public bus fleet from its current 1,000 to 4,000, with the capacity to convey one million passengers daily.

The APC candidate also pledged to extend the Blue Line rail service to Okokomaiko, establish an interchange connecting the Blue and Red rail lines at the National Theatre Station and advance the Green Line project from Marina to the Lekki Free Trade Zone in collaboration with the Federal Government.

On water transportation, Hamzat promised to expand the state’s navigable waterways by dredging an additional 140 kilometres, improve 15 ferry routes, rehabilitate 25 terminals and jetties, and acquire 75 more electric boats under the Omi Eko initiative.

He said Lagos must take greater advantage of its waterways as an alternative transportation corridor, while promising to integrate road, rail and water transport through a coordinated ticketing and timetable arrangement.

In the health sector, Hamzat proposed increasing the number of Maternal and Child Centres from 10 to 15, upgrading 100 primary healthcare facilities to flagship status and constructing two new general hospitals in Ogombo and Ibeju-Lekki.

He further promised to expand the Ilera Eko health insurance programme, which currently covers nearly two million people, with a target of extending its reach to one out of every three Lagos residents.

The proposed facilities are expected to complement ongoing hospital projects, including the 150-bed Massey Children’s Hospital, 280-bed Ojo General Hospital and 150-bed Somolu General Hospital, which are expected to add 580 beds to the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

The candidate also pledged to recruit additional doctors, nurses and midwives while improving working conditions to address the challenges confronting healthcare professionals.

On education, Hamzat promised to strengthen the EKOEXCEL initiative, which currently operates in 1,028 public primary schools, while expanding teacher development programmes and reviewing their welfare and remuneration.

He also outlined plans to deepen digital learning and pursue the establishment of a University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Hamzat said his administration would prioritise access to quality education and ensure that more children are enrolled in school and remain within the education system.

To tackle unemployment and strengthen the business environment, the APC candidate pledged to expand vocational training, improve access to finance and provide more opportunities for small and medium-scale enterprises.

He disclosed that the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund had disbursed more than N15 billion to over 21,000 businesses, while its training, advisory and mentorship interventions had reached more than 116,000 businesses.

According to him, businesses supported through the initiative have generated over 300,000 jobs, while nearly 15,000 young people have secured employment through its programmes.

He also promised to introduce a consolidated schedule of legitimate government charges to protect businesses from multiple levies and reserve a defined proportion of state procurement opportunities for qualified indigenous small businesses.

Another proposal is a vocational internship arrangement that would allow students in technical and vocational institutions to undergo between six and 12 months of workplace training, with the state government covering 40 per cent of their stipends.

In the housing sector, Hamzat promised to complete ongoing housing developments across Lagos and expand the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme to make homeownership more accessible.

He proposed mortgage arrangements requiring a 10 per cent initial deposit, single-digit interest rates and extended repayment periods.

On security, he pledged to strengthen the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency and expand its operational coverage to all 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas.

His proposed security measures also include wider streetlight and CCTV coverage, improved welfare for security personnel and the establishment of a State Intelligence Fusion Centre to address cybercrime, financial crimes and organised criminal activities.

Hamzat also outlined plans to improve access to potable water through the completion of the 70-million-gallon-per-day Adiyan Phase Two waterworks and the rehabilitation of 24 micro and mini waterworks.

On environmental management, he set a target of achieving 95 per cent waste collection coverage across the state.

The manifesto further proposes the establishment of a Child Protection and Nutrition Agency within the first 100 days of his administration, subject to legislative approval.

He also promised to create a Lagos State Service Delivery Office to monitor government programmes and ensure that campaign commitments translate into measurable results.

Explaining the accountability framework behind the manifesto, Hamzat said 87 of the 100 pledges were firm commitments within the direct control of the state government, while the remaining 13 were aspirations dependent on consultations, federal partnerships or judicial outcomes.

He promised that the 87 commitments would be assessed through publicly available performance targets and an independent Performance Council.

The proposed accountability structure would also include annual performance reports, service charters and a complaints-handling system.

Under the arrangement, government agencies are expected to acknowledge complaints within 48 hours, provide responses within seven days and resolve them within 30 days.

Hamzat identified the seven pillars of his development agenda as People First, Renewal, Opportunity, Machinery of Government, Inclusion, Security and Resilience, and Everyday Dignity.

Describing the manifesto as a commitment to the people of Lagos, he maintained that residents must have clear benchmarks against which to assess his administration if elected.

He said his proposed government would build on the development foundations laid by previous administrations, including those of former governors Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and Akinwunmi Ambode, as well as the incumbent, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.