The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Funso Doherty, has promised to make education, books and examination fees free across the state within his first 100 days in office if elected governor in 2027.

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.

Speaking on his plans for his first 100 days in office, the governorship candidate said his administration would make education entirely free, including the provision of books and payment of examination fees.

SEE ALSO: 2027: ‘Lagos Is Inhospitable To Youth’ — Doherty

“We will also provide one nutritious meal for every kid in public school. We will also provide a programme by which kids who are in public schools are transported free to school if they need it,” Doherty said.

He explained that the measures were aimed at ensuring that no child is denied access to education.

“Because the children, given our demographics, are the hope of the future and will be the time bomb of the future,” he said.

Doherty also promised what he described as truly free healthcare, with particular attention to maternal and child healthcare.

On housing, the NDC candidate said his administration would adopt a large-scale approach to addressing the housing deficit in Lagos, rather than delivering only a few hundred housing units.

“Our commitment is to deliver about 150,000 units in our first term because a large part of the problem with housing is the fact that supply has not kept up with the demand,” he said.

The pledges form part of Doherty’s proposed agenda ahead of the 2027 Lagos State governorship election.

The Lagos State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Doherty, has described Lagos as an “inhospitable” and “hostile” environment for young people.

Doherty made the remarks on Thursday during a town hall meeting with Lagos residents, where he said young people should not be regarded as merely the “leaders of tomorrow,” but as the people who constitute the Lagos of today.

According to him, Gen Z accounts for about 25 per cent of Lagos’ population, while millennials make up another 25 per cent, with Gen Alpha bringing the younger population to about 80 per cent.

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“So, in essence, Lagos is you and you are Lagos,” he said.

Doherty questioned why Lagos should feel hostile to young people despite their significant presence in the state.

“So why is it then that Lagos looks so inhospitable to the young? Why is it that it feels like a hostile environment to the young?” he asked.

He cited challenges in education and housing, among others, as factors affecting young Lagosians.

Doherty said many young people feel compelled to leave the state because of the difficulties they face, adding that government should focus on making Lagos attractive enough for them to stay.

“It’s not surprising that many feel they have to leave,” he said. “And, you know, as leaders, we can’t tell them not to leave. What we need to do is to make the place attractive for them to stay.”

The NDC candidate also spoke about what he described as the social contract between government and citizens, arguing that citizens are expected to work, pay taxes and fulfil their responsibilities while government provides the conditions necessary for them to thrive.

He asked attendees whether they believed the government was fulfilling its side of the social contract, saying he saw few hands raised in response.

Doherty also highlighted Lagos’ internally generated revenue, citing information he attributed to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

He claimed that when five states — Delta, Rivers, Ogun, Enugu and the Federal Capital Territory — are separated from the remaining 31 states, Lagos still has more internally generated revenue than the 31 states combined, and also more than the five put together.

He said the state’s resources make the issue of the social contract particularly important.

Doherty outlined his vision of a Lagos where no child is denied education because their parents cannot afford it, no child dies because their parents cannot afford medication, and residents do not have to rely on unsafe transportation or experience abusive interactions with government.

“That is my vision for Lagos,” he said.
He added that his vision would be backed by specific policy actions, announcing that his campaign would release its manifesto to the public the following week.

According to Doherty, the manifesto would contain 34 specific actions that his administration would commit to implementing during its first term if elected.

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has urged Nigerians to rise in unity, reject inducement and intimidation, and take responsibility for the country’s future at the ballot box as Nigeria marks its 66th Independence anniversary.

Turaki made the call in an Independence Day message dated October 1, 2026, titled “Nigeria @66: Like Our Forebears, Let’s Not Miss the Time.”

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He said every anniversary of Nigeria’s independence serves as a reminder of the sacrifices made by the country’s forebears in pursuit of a nation they envisioned as a place of prosperity, equality, equity and justice.

According to him, the struggle for self-rule was not achieved without resistance, noting that when the opportunity for independence came, Nigeria’s forebears rejected inducements and resisted threats designed to defeat their objective.

He said they did not delay or miss their moment.

Turaki said Nigerians must draw from that example as the country turns 66, stressing that it is now the responsibility of citizens to rise and act.

“As Nigeria turns 66, it is our turn to rise.”
He called on Nigerians to rise in unison, shun inducement and stand firm against intimidation.

The PDP chairman said citizens must, “now, more than ever,” remain determined to elect, at the earliest opportunity, a government that will build a Nigeria that works for all and not just some.

He said such a government should create a nation characterised by security, economic opportunity, unity and justice.

According to Turaki, the responsibility for achieving that objective rests with Nigerians through their participation at the ballot box.

“That responsibility now rests on us at the ballot box. This is our own time, and we must not let it pass.”

He urged Nigerians to seize the opportunity to shape the country’s future, drawing inspiration from the generation that fought for self-rule and refused to allow inducements or threats to derail its pursuit of independence.