Lagos State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has presented his campaign manifesto as more than a political document, challenging Lagosians to treat his proposed Lagos Promise — Ileri Eko as a contract they can scrutinise, measure and ultimately use to judge his performance.
Hamzat, who unveiled the manifesto in Lagos on Friday October 30th, 2026, anchored his governorship bid on what he described as the weight of public responsibility, declaring that a promise was not merely a campaign statement but a debt owed to the people.
“A PROMISE is a debt. In Yoruba, we say ‘Gbese ni Ileri’. A PROMISE has weight,” he said.
According to him, the philosophy behind the manifesto was shaped by three values he said his parents lived by — respect, work and truth.
“Iteriba. Respect. The state owes it to every person it serves. Ise. Work. The work comes before the announcement. Otito. Truth. A government that publishes the truth about itself earns its people’s trust,” Hamzat said.
He said those principles would determine how he would govern Lagos if given the mandate, adding that the manifesto was deliberately structured to give residents clear commitments against which his administration could be assessed.
“That is why my MANIFESTO is a PROMISE to Lagosians,” he said. “The PROMISE has seven letters, seven pillars and 100 pledges.”
The seven pillars, according to Hamzat, are People First, Renewal, Opportunity, the Machinery of Government, Inclusion, Security and Resilience, and Everyday Dignity.
However, the APC candidate placed particular emphasis on the distinction between political promises and commitments that can actually be measured.
“A serious plan tells you what will be delivered, where, when, and who is accountable,” he said.
He disclosed that out of the 100 pledges contained in the Hamzat Compact, 87 were firm commitments within the powers of the Lagos State Government, while 13 were aspirations whose implementation would depend on factors including the Federal Government, the courts and wider consultations.
“Eighty-seven are firm commitments. They are within the Lagos State Government’s power, and each will be measured against a published scorecard. If one of them is not delivered, it will be noted, and I must own it,” he said.
For Hamzat, accountability would not be postponed until the end of a four-year tenure. He said it would begin from his first 100 days in office.
He pledged that his first bill to the Lagos State House of Assembly would establish a Child Protection and Nutrition Agency, with the objective of ensuring that every child under 18 was either in school or learning a trade and adequately fed to learn.
“Every PROMISE I make about the future starts with them,” he said.
He also promised to establish a Lagos State Service Delivery Office through an Executive Order, with the office chaired by the governor and tasked with publishing the starting point for every commitment so that residents could track progress.
“Beyond those first hundred days, every government office will display a Service Charter on its wall: the service, the standard and the officer responsible,” Hamzat said.
He further pledged that complaints would be acknowledged within 48 hours, answered within seven days and resolved within 30 days, while an independent Performance Council would review government delivery and report directly to the people.
“Every year, one document will set every promise against the result. Where we miss a target, that report will name it, give the reason and set the new date,” he said.
The former Deputy Governor also framed his manifesto around the ordinary Lagosian, repeatedly using everyday experiences to explain the priorities of his proposed administration.
He recalled an incident involving a 10-year-old boy found under a bridge at Oshodi in the early hours of the morning, saying the experience reinforced his belief that government must operate as a connected system capable of protecting vulnerable residents.
“What it shows is how many hands a child needs. A school. A clinic. A social welfare office. A police post. A community that knows his name,” he said.
“As a trained systems engineer, I know a system works only when every one of those hands reaches the child in time.”
Hamzat subsequently declared that children would occupy the centre of his proposed administration, promising that every child living in Lagos would be recognised, protected and given access to opportunities.
“If you are a child, and you live in Lagos, then you are a child of Lagos,” he said. “Wherever your parents were born, whatever language you speak, and whatever faith your family practises. Lagos will know your name. Lagos will work for you. Lagos will protect you.”
On healthcare, Hamzat promised to increase the number of Maternal and Child Centres from 10 to 15 and expand the Ilera Eko health insurance scheme to reach one in three Lagosians, prioritising poorer households.
He also pointed to ongoing hospital projects, including the new Massey Children’s Hospital, Ojo General Hospital and Somolu General Hospital, which he said would collectively provide 580 additional hospital beds.
He promised two new general hospitals at Ogombo and Ibeju-Lekki, alongside the upgrading of 100 primary healthcare centres.
In education, Hamzat pledged to deepen the EKOEXCEL programme, expand access to education and continue teacher training, while reviewing teachers’ compensation.
“We will demand peak performance from you, and we ask that you demand the same from our students,” he said.
He also addressed the business community, promising to simplify government charges and permits while expanding access to credit, skills and public procurement opportunities for small businesses.
“We will publish one schedule of lawful charges, so everyone knows exactly what is due,” he said.
For young people, he promised wider access to internships, volunteering, public-service opportunities and leadership development, while pledging to strengthen Lagos’ technology ecosystem.
“You are the Lagos of today. The door IS open. Come and take your seat,” Hamzat told young Lagosians.
Transportation also featured prominently in the manifesto, with Hamzat promising an integrated system connecting road, rail and waterways.
“I will move Lagos by road, by rail and by water, as one connected system,” he said.
Among his proposals are increasing the public bus fleet from 1,000 to 4,000, extending the Blue Line to Okokomaiko, advancing the Green Line towards the Lekki Free Trade Zone and expanding water transportation through the Omi Eko initiative.
He also pledged to activate the Fourth Mainland Bridge through partnerships and accelerate major road projects across the state.
But Hamzat said the ultimate measure of his transportation policy would not simply be the number of buses, trains or roads delivered, but the amount of time returned to Lagosians.
“The standard I care about most is time,” he said. “The time I return to your days. Time with your children. Time to rest. Time to build.”
On housing, he promised to complete ongoing housing schemes and make mortgages more accessible through a 10 per cent down payment, single-digit interest rates and longer repayment periods.
He also promised stronger neighbourhood security, improved street lighting, wider CCTV coverage and the establishment of a State Intelligence Fusion Centre to strengthen the fight against cybercrime, financial crime and organised crime.
In the environmental sector, Hamzat pledged to complete the Adiyan Phase Two water project, rehabilitate waterworks and expand waste collection coverage to 95 per cent.
He also promised to integrate the thousands of Lagosians already involved in waste collection and sorting into a more structured system.
“Essential work deserves dignity,” he said.
Hamzat’s vision also extends to Lagos’ diverse population, with a pledge to make the state more inclusive for residents from different parts of Nigeria and other countries who have come to Lagos to work and build their lives.
“Everyone who lives here belongs here, and Lagos will serve you as you are,” he said.
But as he brought the speech to a close, Hamzat returned to the central theme of his manifesto — accountability.
Drawing on his personal history, he recalled the influence of his father, the late Alhaji Mufutau Olatunji Hamzat, his encounter with the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo as a teenager, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s counsel on public service.
“Lagos has given me a lifetime of work. Today, I give Lagos my PROMISE,” he said.
“A PROMISE is a load. I have lifted it onto my head before you. I am asking you to watch me carry it.”
Hamzat then challenged Lagosians to judge him not by the applause surrounding the manifesto launch but by what happens after the election.
“Watch me carry it when the applause is gone. Watch me carry it when the choices are difficult. Watch me carry it when the numbers are inconvenient. And watch me carry it all the way, until the work is done,” he said.
He described the mandate he was seeking as an opportunity to serve, a responsibility to deliver and a duty to remain answerable to Lagosians.
“Together we have built one of Africa’s greatest states. Together we will make it safer, fairer, cleaner and easier to live in. Together we will write its finest chapter. Together we will move Lagos forward,” Hamzat said.
“This is our work. This is our future. This is our Lagos.”
The manifesto, titled The Lagos Promise — Ileri Eko, therefore presents Hamzat’s campaign not only around what he says he intends to do, but around his invitation to Lagosians to monitor whether he does it.
