Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has promised to make education entirely free in the state within his first 100 days in office if elected in the 2027 governorship election, declaring that his administration would cover tuition, textbooks and examination fees for public school students. Doherty made the pledge on Thursday during a special town hall meeting hosted by The Platform, a thought leadership initiative of The Covenant Nation in Lagos, where he was asked to outline his priorities for the first 100 days as governor.
"When asked what my plans were for the first 100 days if elected as Lagos State governor, the NDC candidate said his administration would make education entirely free, including books and exam fees," Doherty said. He added that his government would provide one nutritious meal for every child in public school and introduce a programme to transport pupils free of charge where needed. "We will ensure that education is not denied to any child," he said. "Because the children, given our demographics, are the hope of the future and will be the time bomb of the future". Doherty also pledged truly free healthcare, including maternal and child healthcare, saying his administration would prioritise the welfare of residents through improved infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education and sustainable economic policies aimed at raising living standards.
The education pledge is part of a broader agenda that Doherty has been articulating since he accepted the NDC nomination in June 2026. The party confirmed him as its governorship candidate for Lagos State ahead of the 2027 general elections, and he formally accepted the nomination in a speech on his official X account. Doherty, who spent nearly 30 years in the private sector before joining politics, said public office for him is about service, which is also the party's slogan. He explained that he initially joined the African Democratic Congress with the expectation that the party would unite opposition forces, but the emergence of different political directions by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi eventually led to divisions within the ADC, prompting him to join the NDC because of what he described as its commitment to service and people-centred governance.
Doherty has framed his campaign around a critique of the All Progressives Congress administration in Lagos, arguing that the state has been under one political party for about three decades without translating into meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary residents. He said the performance of any government should be measured by the living standards of its people, including access to quality education, healthcare, transportation, housing and employment. "When you measure Lagos by human development indices, the quality of life for the average citizen: education, healthcare, transportation, water, power, you have to reach the conclusion that governance in Lagos State has failed the people," he said. He questioned why a candidate who served eight years as deputy governor should expect to achieve in four years what was not done in 25 years, and described his three priorities as people, people and people.
On education specifically, Doherty has pointed to the poor performance of students in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, where the failure rate exceeded 50 per cent, as evidence that urgent reforms are needed. He has advocated greater investment in technical education so that students acquire practical skills that would enable them to become self-employed or secure jobs outside traditional office employment, and he has identified the number of out-of-school children as another major challenge requiring urgent government intervention. He has said education and healthcare should each get about 15 per cent of the state budget instead of the current six to seven per cent.
On housing, Doherty promised a quantum approach with a focus on delivering about 150,000 housing units in his first term, describing the housing deficit as a supply problem that requires active government involvement. He said 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," he said. He also promised a big commitment to the transport sector by not taking a back seat, and he has criticised the state's transportation system as chaotic, accusing the government of leaving too much of the sector in the hands of private operators.
Doherty's town hall appearance came alongside other Lagos governorship candidates, including the People's Democratic Party's Deji Doherty and the African Democratic Congress's Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who also presented their agendas on housing, transportation and urban development. Doherty used the occasion to urge Lagos voters to reject vote buying and elect leaders based on competence, integrity and vision, saying the 2027 election offers residents an opportunity to redefine the state's future through responsible voting. He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to guarantee transparent elections and ensure that every legitimate vote counts, stressing that the credibility of any election depends on the integrity of the electoral process.
The political context of Doherty's campaign is one of growing competition in Lagos State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, scheduled for February 6, 2027. The ruling APC, which has governed Lagos since 1999, is facing a more fragmented opposition than in previous cycles, with the NDC, the ADC, the PDP and other parties fielding candidates. Doherty has rejected the perception that Lagos lacks a strong opposition, saying he has consistently challenged the state government and has taken legal action over the environmental impact assessment concerning the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road. He has attributed the perception of APC dominance partly to the ruling party's visibility through posters and control of political communication channels, and he has accused the incumbent administration of being unwilling to tolerate strong opposition.
For Lagos residents, Doherty's promises on free education, meals and transport represent a significant expansion of the state's social intervention programmes if implemented. The state currently operates a free education policy up to certain levels, but the NDC candidate's pledge to cover books and examination fees, provide daily meals and transport pupils at no cost would go substantially further. Whether those promises are feasible within the first 100 days and how they would be funded are questions that the campaign will need to address as the election approaches. For now, Doherty has placed his education agenda at the centre of his bid to unseat the APC in Lagos, and he has framed the 2027 election as an opportunity for residents to demand better governance. As he put it, the future of Lagos rests in the hands of its people, and education is the foundation on which that future must be built.
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Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has promised to make education entirely free in the state within his first 100 days in office if elected in the 2027 governorship election, declaring that his administration would cover tuition, textbooks and examination fees for public school students. Doherty made the pledge on Thursday during a special town hall meeting hosted by The Platform, a thought leadership initiative of The Covenant Nation in Lagos, where he was asked to outline his priorities for the first 100 days as governor.
"When asked what my plans were for the first 100 days if elected as Lagos State governor, the NDC candidate said his administration would make education entirely free, including books and exam fees," Doherty said. He added that his government would provide one nutritious meal for every child in public school and introduce a programme to transport pupils free of charge where needed. "We will ensure that education is not denied to any child," he said. "Because the children, given our demographics, are the hope of the future and will be the time bomb of the future". Doherty also pledged truly free healthcare, including maternal and child healthcare, saying his administration would prioritise the welfare of residents through improved infrastructure, affordable healthcare, quality education and sustainable economic policies aimed at raising living standards.
The education pledge is part of a broader agenda that Doherty has been articulating since he accepted the NDC nomination in June 2026. The party confirmed him as its governorship candidate for Lagos State ahead of the 2027 general elections, and he formally accepted the nomination in a speech on his official X account. Doherty, who spent nearly 30 years in the private sector before joining politics, said public office for him is about service, which is also the party's slogan. He explained that he initially joined the African Democratic Congress with the expectation that the party would unite opposition forces, but the emergence of different political directions by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi eventually led to divisions within the ADC, prompting him to join the NDC because of what he described as its commitment to service and people-centred governance.
Doherty has framed his campaign around a critique of the All Progressives Congress administration in Lagos, arguing that the state has been under one political party for about three decades without translating into meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary residents. He said the performance of any government should be measured by the living standards of its people, including access to quality education, healthcare, transportation, housing and employment. "When you measure Lagos by human development indices, the quality of life for the average citizen: education, healthcare, transportation, water, power, you have to reach the conclusion that governance in Lagos State has failed the people," he said. He questioned why a candidate who served eight years as deputy governor should expect to achieve in four years what was not done in 25 years, and described his three priorities as people, people and people.
On education specifically, Doherty has pointed to the poor performance of students in the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination, where the failure rate exceeded 50 per cent, as evidence that urgent reforms are needed. He has advocated greater investment in technical education so that students acquire practical skills that would enable them to become self-employed or secure jobs outside traditional office employment, and he has identified the number of out-of-school children as another major challenge requiring urgent government intervention. He has said education and healthcare should each get about 15 per cent of the state budget instead of the current six to seven per cent.
On housing, Doherty promised a quantum approach with a focus on delivering about 150,000 housing units in his first term, describing the housing deficit as a supply problem that requires active government involvement. He said 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," he said. He also promised a big commitment to the transport sector by not taking a back seat, and he has criticised the state's transportation system as chaotic, accusing the government of leaving too much of the sector in the hands of private operators.
Doherty's town hall appearance came alongside other Lagos governorship candidates, including the People's Democratic Party's Deji Doherty and the African Democratic Congress's Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, who also presented their agendas on housing, transportation and urban development. Doherty used the occasion to urge Lagos voters to reject vote buying and elect leaders based on competence, integrity and vision, saying the 2027 election offers residents an opportunity to redefine the state's future through responsible voting. He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to guarantee transparent elections and ensure that every legitimate vote counts, stressing that the credibility of any election depends on the integrity of the electoral process.
The political context of Doherty's campaign is one of growing competition in Lagos State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, scheduled for February 6, 2027. The ruling APC, which has governed Lagos since 1999, is facing a more fragmented opposition than in previous cycles, with the NDC, the ADC, the PDP and other parties fielding candidates. Doherty has rejected the perception that Lagos lacks a strong opposition, saying he has consistently challenged the state government and has taken legal action over the environmental impact assessment concerning the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road. He has attributed the perception of APC dominance partly to the ruling party's visibility through posters and control of political communication channels, and he has accused the incumbent administration of being unwilling to tolerate strong opposition.
For Lagos residents, Doherty's promises on free education, meals and transport represent a significant expansion of the state's social intervention programmes if implemented. The state currently operates a free education policy up to certain levels, but the NDC candidate's pledge to cover books and examination fees, provide daily meals and transport pupils at no cost would go substantially further. Whether those promises are feasible within the first 100 days and how they would be funded are questions that the campaign will need to address as the election approaches. For now, Doherty has placed his education agenda at the centre of his bid to unseat the APC in Lagos, and he has framed the 2027 election as an opportunity for residents to demand better governance. As he put it, the future of Lagos rests in the hands of its people, and education is the foundation on which that future must be built.
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✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
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