Dr Obafemi Hamzat Photo: Inshot
By Toyin Williams
Lagos State Deputy Governor and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Obafemi Hamzat has unveiled plans for further development of Lagos State with emphasis on housing, transportation, security, infrastructure and accountable governance.
Unveiling his development blueprint, tagged Jacob’s Promise on Sunday during the Lagos governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, comprising Channels Television, TVC News, Punch Newspaper, The Cable, and Vanguard Newspaper, Hamzat promised 4,000 CNG Buses and 77 Electric Ferries.
On healthcare, the APC candidate promised to expand access to medical services by increasing the number of primary healthcare centres providing round-the-clock services.
He threw more light on his transportation plans. “The objective was to reduce commuting time and give residents more opportunities to rest and spend time with their families.
He promised to deploy 4,000 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses to move one million passengers daily as part of plans to ease transportation challenges in the state.
Still on transportation, he promised to expand water transportation with 77 electric ferries and improve connectivity between different parts of Lagos through an integrated transport system.
He continued “The plan is to give back time to the citizens to plan, to rest, to spend with their family. There’s nowhere in Africa that the private sector has funded a rail.
“Since BRT started, it has done 77 million journeys; that is with 1,000 buses. My plan says we will push it to 4,000 buses; the idea is to move one million people a day with 4,000 CNG buses, meaning up to 5,000, create BRt lane from Marina to Epe, from Marina to Badagry and so on and so forth,” he said.
“Today, over four million people have the Cowry card. What does that mean? It means you can use ferry, you can use rail, and you can use BRT buses — one payment — so that we can deal with how to subsidise it.
On healthcare, the APC candidate promised to expand access to medical services by increasing the number of primary healthcare centres providing round-the-clock services.
Hamzat said that out of the over 300 primary healthcare centres, the government planned to increase its flagship PHCs from 87 to 150, with the facilities operating 24 hours a day.
He also disclosed that the state government was building more hospitals to improve healthcare access for residents.
He stated that the state government plans to enforce the one-year rent payment provision in its real estate law to prevent landlords from demanding two or three years’ rent in advance.
Hamzat added that the provision was contained in the Lagos State Real Estate Registration Agency law passed in 2025, adding that the government’s next priority was to ensure compliance.
While showcasing his professional background, Hamzat said he had worked as a teacher, case manager in New York and systems manager before joining public service.
He said his experience as Commissioner for Science and Technology equipped him to oversee the development of the state’s residents and structural database, while his tenure as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure saw him lead the team that delivered the decade-long bridge project, described as the first cable bridge in West Africa and second in Africa.
He opined that effective governance requires a leader who understands the people, the state and the responsibilities of the office.
He identified respect for citizens, hard work and truthfulness as the principles that would guide his administration.
Hamzat said that government must place work before announcements and ensure transparency by telling citizens the truth about its activities.
Hamzat urged voters to assess candidates based on the substance of their plans and the work behind their promises rather than mere political announcements.
