As political parties and aspirants intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, Lagos State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has promised to prioritise the wellbeing and quality of life of residents if elected governor.
Rhodes-Vivour, popularly known as GRV, made the pledge in an X post yesterday while outlining his vision for Lagos and the issues he intends to place before voters as the campaign for the 2027 governorship election gathers momentum.
The ADC candidate, who contested the Lagos governorship election in 2023, said his administration would measure its performance by the difference it made in the lives of residents rather than by the amount of internally generated revenue (IGR) collected by the state.
He said revenue generation would only be meaningful if the resources were effectively deployed to improve living conditions and provide better public services.
‘The main focus and priority of our government will be the wellbeing and quality of life of Lagosians. Our boast will not be in IGR numbers. It will be in how we have used those numbers to make the lives of Lagosians better,’ he said.
Rhodes-Vivour said his vision for Lagos would centre on issues that directly affect residents, including transportation, education, healthcare and the general cost of living.
He promised to pursue a city where residents could move around more easily and where access to quality education would not require families to travel long distances.
‘A city where fathers can take their kids to school and still get to work early,’ he said.
The governorship candidate said schools should be located close to the communities they serve, making it easier for parents to combine their family and work responsibilities.
He also highlighted the challenges confronting working-class residents who depend on public transportation, particularly the state’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.
According to him, Lagos should become a city ‘where the working class don’t have to fight to get on to a BRT.’
His proposal also extends to healthcare, with emphasis on strengthening emergency medical response at the community level.
Rhodes-Vivour said residents should be able to receive immediate attention during emergencies within their wards before being transferred to hospitals equipped to provide further treatment.
‘A city where health emergencies can be arrested and stabilised in your ward before transfer to a hospital with a bed waiting to receive you,’ he said.
He said the broader objective was to build a Lagos that restores dignity to working-class residents while pursuing greater economic, technological and cultural ambitions for the state.
‘A city that restores dignity to the working class, a city with big dreams, a city with a vision to become the commercial, technological and cultural capital of the Black race,’ he said.
Rhodes-Vivour’s intervention comes as political parties, aspirants and support groups begin to articulate issues and policy proposals ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Lagos governorship contest is expected to feature competing proposals on transportation, infrastructure, housing, education, healthcare, employment and the management of the state’s growing population.
For Rhodes-Vivour, the emphasis is on translating government revenue into tangible improvements in the daily lives of residents.
He urged Lagosians who want to know more about his proposed agenda to visit his campaign website.