Lagos State Deputy Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Obafemi Hamzat, has pledged to put an end to unauthorised levies and untraceable charges imposed on businesses across the state if elected governor.
Hamzat made the promise on Thursday while speaking at the Independence Day edition of The Platform, organised by the Covenant Nation, where he outlined aspects of his vision for Lagos and addressed concerns over the cost of doing business in the state.
The APC candidate said businesses should be able to determine in advance what they are required to pay to government and plan their operations accordingly, rather than being confronted with multiple or unexpected charges from different authorities.
“What we will do is to make sure that any levy that is unauthorised, that is not known, that even we can’t track, must go,” Hamzat said.
He also ruled out the practice of officials or other individuals stopping traders and businesses at various points to collect charges that are not properly authorised.
“Nobody should stand at junctions to collect anything from anybody,” he said.
According to him, the state government would work more closely with the 20 local government areas to harmonise charges and improve coordination, noting that both levels of government ultimately provide services to the same residents and businesses.
Hamzat said he would establish a State Economic Council to coordinate the activities of the state and local governments on economic matters, particularly with regard to levies and charges affecting businesses.
“So, businesses must know: what am I going to pay? And the moment I pay it; they must leave me alone. We must not be pulling the rug on businesses,” he said.
The deputy governor said the objective would be to create a more predictable operating environment in which entrepreneurs could calculate their costs, plan investments and grow their businesses without being subjected to charges they cannot identify or verify.
Beyond taxation and levies, Hamzat said his administration would place greater emphasis on strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, which he described as an important part of Lagos’ economy.
He identified poor bookkeeping and inadequate personnel management skills as some of the challenges responsible for the failure of some small businesses.
“What we have realised is that a lot of SMEs don’t last long, not because they are not making money, but they don’t understand bookkeeping,” he said.
He added that many business owners also needed better knowledge of how to manage employees and run their enterprises sustainably.
Hamzat therefore promised expanded training and other forms of support for SMEs, saying the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund was already working with King’s Trust to expand assistance to businesses.
The APC candidate also spoke more broadly about his vision for Lagos, including measures aimed at improving infrastructure, creating jobs, developing skills, strengthening healthcare and security, and making movement around the state easier.
On transportation, Hamzat said reducing commuting time would be a key priority of his administration, promising that residents travelling from areas such as Agege, Ajegunle, Ajah and Igando to their places of work or business would spend less time on the road under his proposed administration.
Hamzat became the APC’s governorship candidate in May after winning the party’s primary election with 657,917 votes out of 657,974 accredited votes. His only challenger, Lanre Jim-Kamal, received one vote, while another aspirant, Samuel Ajose, withdrew before the exercise.
Following his emergence as candidate, Hamzat unveiled a development agenda tagged “My Lagos Dream”, with emphasis on service delivery and infrastructure, job creation, knowledge and skills development, healthcare and security.
He said the broader objective was to sustain Lagos’ position as a major commercial centre while ensuring that government policies and economic interventions translate into tangible benefits for residents and businesses.
The pledge to eliminate unauthorised levies now places the cost and predictability of doing business among the issues Hamzat is presenting to Lagos voters ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
