No political will to tackle Lagos agberos — Doherty

The Nigeria Democratic Congress gubernatorial candidate for Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has criticized the state's governments for lacking the political will to tackle the activities of transport operators known as agberos. These agberos are touts who charge commercial bus drivers and operators at motor parks, bus stops and along roads, often claiming to represent transport unions or park authorities.

Doherty stated that vested interests within the existing public transportation system have hindered government efforts to reform the sector, despite the difficulties posed by the chaotic operation of commercial buses. During the Lagos Governorship Debate organized by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, Doherty questioned why the state had not modernized its public transportation system despite the presence of thousands of outdated buses on its roads.

He emphasized that the situation was not an accident, suggesting that some interests benefited from the current arrangement. "Many of us understand this notion of the agbero system," Doherty asserted, adding that a lack of political will has deterred attempts to address the problem. He maintained that a genuine reform of the transportation sector would necessitate a government prioritizing residents' interests over those profiting from the existing system.

"We will modernize the transportation system because we will be elected by the people, not by an agbero network," Doherty concluded.