Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Lagos State, has blamed past administrations for prioritizing wealthy citizens through policies that exclude struggling residents from enjoying the state’s massive revenue.
Rhodes-Vivour made the allegation during the Lagos governorship debate on Sunday, while responding to a question on why residents continue to face hardship despite Lagos being Nigeria’s highest internally generated revenue state.
He said government policies, particularly in the housing sector, had prioritised highbrow areas and displaced vulnerable communities to make way for developments that ordinary residents could not afford.
“The Lagos government in the last over 20 years has been focused on elite policies that only favour the elite,” he said.
The ADC candidate cited projects by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), arguing that its housing focus had largely been on affluent neighbourhoods.
He also referred to the demolition of parts of a community whose residents, he said, had previously been told that a new Lagos was emerging, only for them to be displaced to make way for private-sector housing projects beyond the reach of most residents.
Rhodes-Vivour argued that this explained why Lagos’ impressive revenue figures had not translated into improved living conditions for many households.
“What we are going to do is focus on people. All our policies are centred around the people and the people that are struggling in Lagos State,” he said.
He said his administration would prioritise affordable housing, pledging to deliver more than 100,000 units with a transparent allocation system designed to prevent individuals from acquiring multiple units at the expense of other applicants.
The candidate also proposed a housing pathway that would allow young people to begin with affordable self-contained apartments and move into larger homes as their families and financial capacity grow.
Under the proposed arrangement, residents could progress from self-contained units to two-bedroom and eventually three-bedroom homes, while accumulating credits or points that could later be applied towards securing a mortgage.
“The idea is to social engineer how people manage spaces,” he said.
Rhodes-Vivour maintained that government should focus on lifting residents who lacked the resources to meet their basic needs, rather than concentrating development benefits among those who could already afford them.
What You Should Know
During the Lagos governorship debate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour pointed out that despite the state’s massive internally generated revenue, housing policies and urban developments continue to displace ordinary citizens in favor of affluent projects.
- Positive Impact: The candidate proposes building over 100,000 affordable housing units with a transparent allocation system and a progressive pathway for young people to own homes.
- Potential Concerns: Continued urban displacement and unaffordable housing developments threaten the livelihoods and shelter security of vulnerable communities in Lagos.
