AHEAD of the 2027 election, Lagos State governorship candidates yesterday unveiled their agendas to reposition, accelerate construction and make housing accessible to all residents.

The candidate highlighted commitments to encourage mortgage sector development, increase housing supply, vertical developments and ensure greater connectivity between housing and transportation

They spoke at The Platform, a town hall for Lagos governorship candidates in the state organised by The Covenant Nation under the leadership of its senior pastor, Poju Oyemade.

Leading in unveiling plan for housing, the governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Deji Doherty, said the government would not try to control rent in houses that it has not provided but will build more houses for residents, stressing that the government as the owner of lands, can only regulate rent by building more houses.

Doherty, who is an engineer, said: “We are bringing a situation where people live in the hinterland like Epe, Ojo and Badagry, and Kosofe and provide transport that could take them to and back from work. In the hinterland, we are going to build high-rise low cost housing, buy up family houses in high hubs and redevelop them for residents”

On his part, the governorship candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr. Funso Doherty promised a quantum approach to housing with a focus on delivering about 150,000 housing units in the first term in office.

Doherty said if voted, the government will pursue land priority for affordable and low-income housing and aggressively ensure housing development in tens of thousands of units for residents.

“The supply has not been there in the market, it is the demand. A large part of the housing market requires the government’s involvement but the government has taken a back seat in that sector. We will also ensure a big commitment to the transport sector by not taking a back seat,” he said.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, an architect, promised residents that the government would deliver housing at the lowest possible price and engage trained artisans through the government training programme into housing development initiatives across the state.

He said the government will focus on increasing the housing stock like former governor of the state, Lateef Jakande did by targeting 100,000 housing units in the first four years.

“Affordable housing for us is being able to pay monthly. We’re building housing units that are not typical two-bedroom, one-bedroom. Your housing is supposed to grow with you as your needs increase. There’s a self-contained apartment that is beautiful, like bullet apartments in Japan. Everything fits in perfectly. When you get married, you can then move to that space once you are registered as a tax-paying resident, you are entitled to this. We’re looking at having development that grows with you as your capacity increases and as your needs increase,” he said.

He said the government will put into place a wetland protection policy to mitigate flooding and embrace the steel method of construction to allow free flow of waters.

Speaking on his plan for housing, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, submitted that while the state occupied 0.34% of the landmark of Nigeria but responsible for a higher per cent of the population, hence the state is dense.

He said the government will deepen the mortgage sector, where people pay 10 per cent of the cost and are able to pay the rest over a period of 20 years.

“What we will do is to complete existing projects which are many in; Sagotedo (700 flats), Ibeshe, Egan-Igando, and Amuwo-Odofin. The most important thing is that we don’t buy housing like buying rice and yam. We know that not everybody can buy a house, some will rent but we will make sure that your rent doesn’t destroy your dignity and that is the commitment,” he said.