The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has pledged to deliver 100,000 housing units within his first four years in office if elected governor in 2027.
Rhodes-Vivour made the promise on Thursday at the Independence Day edition of The Platform, a town hall organised by The Covenant Nation in Lagos, where governorship candidates outlined their plans for the state.
The architect and former Labour Party governorship candidate said his administration would prioritise affordable housing, improved transportation, job creation and skills development as part of efforts to address some of the challenges facing Lagos residents.
“We are increasing the housing stock. We aim to deliver 100,000 housing units in four years,” Rhodes-Vivour said.
He explained that his concept of affordable housing would include payment structures that allow residents to pay monthly rather than requiring large upfront payments.
According to him, the housing programme would also provide different categories of accommodation that could accommodate residents as their household needs and financial capacity change.
Rhodes-Vivour said the government would also explore partnerships with the private sector to expand housing delivery and improve connectivity between residential communities and economic centres across the state.
The ADC candidate also promised to develop a multimodal transportation system designed to provide more affordable options for residents.
“We are going to create a truly multimodal and affordable means of transportation all over Lagos State,” he said, adding that his administration would seek to complete all planned transport lines within two years.
He said greater private-sector participation would be encouraged to improve connectivity across Lagos and reduce transportation difficulties faced by residents.
The transport proposal forms part of his broader plan to link housing development with mobility, particularly as the state continues to face pressure from population growth and demand for accommodation.
Rhodes-Vivour also proposed ward-level skills acquisition programmes targeted at young people and others who are unemployed or involved in street-level activities.
He said residents would be able to receive free training in areas including tiling, bricklaying and POP installation, with opportunities to subsequently participate in government housing projects.
“We are going to take the thugs off the streets by giving them a different pathway to be productive members of society,” he said.
He added that artisans trained through the programme could be engaged in housing construction and other government projects, providing them with income opportunities.
The ADC candidate also proposed the creation of help desks across the state where residents could report alleged intimidation or harassment by police officers.
He said the proposed mechanism would include access to lawyers who could assist residents who believed they had been unfairly treated by law enforcement personnel.
On waste management, Rhodes-Vivour said his administration would seek to decentralise the system by giving local governments greater responsibility for managing waste in their respective areas.
He also proposed developing what he described as a “waste-to-wealth value chain”, including the generation of energy from waste.
The candidate said decentralising waste management could improve efficiency while creating economic opportunities from the recycling and processing of waste.
Rhodes-Vivour’s proposal comes amid continued concerns about housing affordability and rising rents in Lagos.
The ADC had previously said it planned to provide at least 20,000 affordable housing units annually, with the party’s deputy governorship candidate, Babatunde Gbadamosi, saying the figure could increase depending on the success of the administration’s plans.
At Thursday’s town hall, however, Rhodes-Vivour specifically put forward a target of 100,000 housing units over four years.
The proposal is part of the ADC candidate’s broader campaign agenda for the 2027 Lagos governorship election, covering housing, transportation, employment, security and environmental management. His campaign website also lists affordable housing and transportation among its key policy areas.
