Lagos PDP gov candidate promises power rebates, cheaper housing

The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Deji Doherty, has pledge to provide electricity cost relief to residents and businesses through rebates and measures to make housing more affordable if elected governor.

Doherty made the promise while presenting his 10-point manifesto at the Lagos Governorship Debate on Sunday, where he said his administration would prioritise policies that put more money in the pockets of residents from his first day in office.

“On my first day, I’m going to make sure that you get some money put back into your pockets. I’m going to make sure that I give you rebates on power, especially power,” he said.

The PDP candidate identified electricity costs as a major obstacle to industrial growth, arguing that businesses could hardly remain profitable under the prevailing tariff structure.

“With N220 per kilowatt, no industry can be successful. This is reality talking. I’m not just talking,” he said.

On housing, Doherty questioned the feasibility of constructing 150,000 houses within four years, arguing that the cost of building materials and land in Lagos could make such a target difficult to achieve without addressing underlying expenses.

He said rather than make promises he might not be able to fulfil, his administration would establish a research team to develop ways of reducing construction costs.

“I don’t have any control over the price of the materials you are going to use to build these houses. I don’t have any control over the price of the land itself in Lagos State.

“But what I have control over is that I can put a research team together that is going to bring down the cost of building a bungalow compared to the cost of building a two-bedroom, two-level or three-level house,” he said.

Doherty also raised concerns about the lack of basic infrastructure and social amenities in communities across Lagos, particularly the state’s riverine areas.

He noted that the state had between 26 and 28 islands, many of which, according to him, lacked primary healthcare facilities and other essential services.

“We have between 26 and 28 islands in this state. I remember when I was working with a governorship candidate, I had to visit at least 16 of these islands.

“These islands do not even have primary healthcare, and they don’t have a lot of other things,” he said.

Introducing himself at the debate, Doherty described himself as a technocrat, businessman, entrepreneur and industrialist who maintained regular contact with ordinary residents.

He said his involvement in politics was driven by his interactions with the people and disclosed that he joined the PDP in 1998, remaining a member of the party since then.

The candidate identified power, housing, education, transportation and healthcare among the areas covered by his 10-point agenda.