2027: Lagos can achieve more with less waste – Doherty

By Tolulope Oke 

Lagos State can deliver better healthcare, education and other essential services by cutting waste and changing how public funds are spent, 2027 governorship hopeful Funso Doherty has said.

Speaking during an interview with Nevon Media, Doherty. the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate said Lagos had sufficient resources to improve essential services but needed better spending priorities.

“The challenge of Lagos is not so much resources as it might be for many other states. The challenge is setting the right priorities, focusing government expenditure on the segments of society that need government intervention,” he said.

Doherty, who recently unveiled a 34-point manifesto, had pledged free education through secondary school and technical colleges, free healthcare for pregnant women and children under 16, and free textbooks and nutritious meals for public school pupils. He also promised 150,000 housing units within four years.

Explaining his proposed approach to government spending, Doherty questioned the allocation of approximately ₦80 billion for capital expenditure to the Lagos State House of Assembly in the 2025 budget, which he said exceeded the allocation for the entire health sector.

He argued that increasing investment in healthcare and education would better reflect the needs of residents.

“The amount that we prioritise on health and education gives you a clear sense of the prioritisation that is attached to that number,” he said.

Doherty also maintained that government projects could be delivered at significantly lower costs, citing informal polls he conducted suggesting that private-sector operators could execute some projects for less than half their reported government costs.

He insisted that the success of an administration should be measured by improvements in people’s lives rather than the amount of money spent.

“Government can be doing activities all day and spending money from morning till night; it may not have any impact on the lives of the people. And that’s not governance,” he declared.

The governorship candidate said his proposed administration would focus on efficient resource allocation, public welfare and measurable improvements in service delivery.