Hamzat Promises 25-Year Mortgages, One-Year Rent Enforcement
By Google News Personal Finance ·
Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections, Mr Obafemi Hamzat, has promised to introduce a 25-year mortgage scheme, enforce the one-year rent limit and increase the state’s public bus fleet from 1,000 to 4,000 if elected governor in 2027.
Mr Hamzat made the promises on Sunday during the Lagos Governorship Debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium at The Hub by IALA, Lekki, Lagos.
The debate featured three other governorship candidates, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr Funso Doherty of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and Mr Deji Doherty of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Describing the debate as an opportunity for voters to assess his preparedness for the job, Mr Hamzat said he regarded the event as a job interview.
“I take tonight as a job interview. The first question you ask anybody who wants this type of responsibility is: what have you done to prepare for this job?” he said.
To support his claim of experience, the APC candidate highlighted his previous appointments as Commissioner for Science and Technology and Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure.
He said he oversaw the development of the state’s residents and structural database while serving as Commissioner for Science and Technology, and led the team that delivered the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge as Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure.
Mr Hamzat also outlined three principles that would guide his administration: respect for citizens, hard work and truthfulness.
He defended the record of the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in which he has served as deputy governor for almost eight years, but admitted that there were areas requiring improvement.
“I am comfortable with a lot of things Lagos government has achieved; I also know that there are gaps, and that is the judgment I bring to the table,” he said.
Responding to questions about the hardship facing residents despite the state’s economic strength, Mr Hamzat acknowledged that transportation, housing and food remained major concerns.
He attributed some of the economic difficulties to what he described as a corrective phase in the country’s finances, saying the state government would deliberately intervene to ease the burden on residents.
“We are going through a corrective phase financially in Nigeria. We understand that transportation, housing and food are major concerns for our people, and these are areas where government must deliberately intervene,” he said.
On housing, Mr Hamzat said the Sanwo-Olu administration had delivered 24 housing estates comprising 18,000 housing units in the last eight years.
He promised that his administration would make homeownership easier through a mortgage scheme requiring an initial deposit of 10 per cent, with the balance spread over 25 years.
The proposal is aimed at helping residents acquire homes without having to pay the full cost at once.
His housing plan came amid a contrasting proposal by Rhodes-Vivour, who promised to deliver 100,000 housing units within four years through measures including luxury taxation, development of the eastern foreshore and decentralisation of housing projects.
Mr Hamzat also pledged to enforce the existing one-year rent limit to prevent landlords and estate agents from demanding two or three years’ rent in advance.
He said the government would ensure that tenants were not forced to pay several…
Originally published by Google News Personal Finance
