Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Lagos State, Adedeji Doherty, has proposed a government-backed rental scheme as an alternative approach to addressing the rising cost of accommodation in the state
Speaking during a governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium in Lekki on Sunday night, Titiansloaded reports that Doherty argued that the government could not effectively regulate how private landlords handled their properties.
He suggested that the state government should lease houses directly from property owners and make the accommodation available to residents at affordable rates.
According to him, rather than attempting to dictate rental conditions to private landlords, the government could become an intermediary between property owners and tenants.
“There is no government that can control a landlord. What we are going to do is we are going to rent those houses ourselves, and you can now come to rent them from us if you want to,” he said.
Doherty also questioned the practicality of building 150,000 housing units within a four-year administration, pointing to the financial implications and the unpredictable cost of construction materials.
He maintained that the government would struggle to deliver such a large number of homes within the proposed period because it could not determine or control the prices of essential building materials.
“There is no way I am going to build 150,000 houses in four years because they are going to be expensive, and I don’t have control over the materials that you are going to use to build these houses. I don’t have control over the price,” he stated.
The 150,000-housing-unit proposal is a major campaign pledge by Funso Doherty, who is contesting the governorship election under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Beyond housing, the PDP candidate highlighted several issues he believes have contributed to the difficulties experienced by Lagos residents.
They include the state’s debt burden, the size of its ministries, departments and agencies, and the absence of full local government autonomy.
He also identified reliable electricity supply as essential to economic growth, stressing that Lagos needed improved power generation and distribution to support businesses and residents.
“Power is wealth, and Lagos State needs power,” he said.
Doherty further promised to introduce measures that would ease residents’ financial pressure if elected, saying his administration would prioritise putting more money into people’s pockets from the beginning of his tenure.
The PDP candidate is among several politicians seeking to lead Lagos in the February 6, 2027 governorship election.
Other contenders include APC candidate and incumbent Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, African Democratic Congress candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour and NDC candidate Funso Doherty.
The debate focused on key concerns affecting the state, including housing, transportation, economic opportunities and the delivery of public services.
