The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Funso Doherty, has accused successive state governments of lacking the political will to tackle the activities of transport touts, popularly known as agberos, alleging that vested interests are frustrating efforts to reform the public transportation system.
Doherty said the entrenched interests benefiting from the existing transport arrangement had made it difficult to modernise the sector despite the growing challenges faced by commuters and commercial transport operators.
He spoke on Sunday during the Lagos Governorship Debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, a coalition of five media organisations, including The PUNCH, Channels Television, TVC News, TheCable and Vanguard.
The NDC candidate questioned why Lagos, despite its economic importance and large population, had continued to rely on thousands of rickety commercial buses rather than developing a modern and efficient public transportation system.
“Our public transportation system is not modernised. Thousands of rickety buses are moving around. We must ask ourselves: Are these what our people deserve? Why has it taken so long to modernise public transportation?” he asked.
Doherty argued that the situation was not simply a failure of planning but was sustained by individuals and groups benefiting from the existing arrangement.
“In my opinion, the lack of a modern transportation system is not by accident. There are vested interests in operating the bus system the way it is,” he said.
He also expressed concern over the activities of agberos, who are widely associated with collecting money from commercial bus drivers at motor parks, bus stops and along roads, often under the guise of representing transport unions or park authorities.
According to him, successive administrations have failed to confront the problem because of the interests surrounding the informal transport network.
“Many of us understand this notion of the agbero system that people talk about. There is no political will to deal with that problem,” he added.
The governorship candidate said meaningful reform would require a government prepared to challenge the interests sustaining the system and prioritise the welfare of Lagos residents.
He maintained that his administration, if elected, would pursue transport reforms without being influenced by those benefiting from the current arrangement.
“We will modernise the transportation system because we will be elected by the people, not by an agbero network,” Doherty said.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
