Lagos Needs Strong Action Against Agberos, Says Doherty

The governorship candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has said that past governments have not shown the political will to tackle the activities of transport operators known as agberos in the state.

Agberos is a local term for touts. These are people who collect money from commercial bus drivers and transport operators at motor parks, bus stops, and along roads. They often say they are acting on behalf of transport unions or park authorities.

Doherty pointed out that some interests in the current public transportation system have made it hard for the government to reform the sector. He mentioned that the chaotic operations of commercial buses are a big challenge.

He made these comments on Sunday during the Lagos Governorship Debate organized by the Nigeria Debate Consortium. This group includes five media organizations such as The PUNCH, Channels Television, TVC News, TheCable, and Vanguard Newspaper.

Doherty also asked why the state has not modernized its public transportation system, even with thousands of old buses still running on the roads.

"Our public transportation system is not modernized. Thousands of rickety buses are moving around. We must ask ourselves: Are these what our people deserve? Why has it taken so long to modernize public transportation?" he asked.

The NDC candidate said that the situation is not just a coincidence. He believes that some people gain from the current setup.

"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 stated.

Doherty talked about the agbero system and said the interests around informal transport have stopped real efforts to fix the problem.

"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.

He stressed that real reform in the transportation sector needs a government that cares about the people more than those benefiting from the current situation.

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