Governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) for the 2027 Lagos election, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has said the Lagos high internally generated revenue (IGR) has not been of benefit to ordinary residents.
Rhodes-Vivour, who dislocated this during a governorship debate in Lagos, said successive administrations had dwelt on policies that favour wealthy residents while sidelining poor and vulnerable people, especially in housing.
“Government in the last 20 years has been focused on elite policies that only favour the elite,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
“You look at how they do housing. Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) is mainly focused in highbrow areas, and always at the push out of the vulnerable of our society.”
Rhodes-Vivour stated that the demolition of homes in Makoko is an example of how government policies has failed to protect low-income communities.
“So that is why, on paper, Lagos celebrates a high IGR, but on the ground, people are not experiencing the benefits of coming from a state that is this rich,” he said.
The ADC governorship candidate said his administration would prioritise policies aimed at improving the living conditions of low-income residents.
“All our policies are centred around the people and the people that are struggling in Lagos state,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour has proposed the delivery of over 100,000 housing units, noting such homes would be given transparently.
“We are not going to have a situation where one person can then own 10 units,” he said.
“There’s credit that is being acquired, or points are being acquired all down this value chain, so that in your 40s, in your 50s, that credit can then be applied to a mortgage,” he said.
