"Truly free, not nominally free": Funsho Doherty makes Lagos school promise

Funsho Doherty, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate for Lagos governor, says school in Nigeria's commercial capital will cost parents nothing if he wins the 2027 election. Not "free" on paper, he insists, but free in practice: no exam fees and no charges sprung on pupils right before they sit their papers.

He made the pledge on Sunday during the 2027 Lagos State governorship debate, which was jointly put together by Channels Television, TVC, The Cable, and the Punch and Vanguard newspapers, according to Channels TV.

What Doherty said

Laying out his thinking on the debate stage, Doherty said: "So, our policies are aimed at capacitating the people, giving them skills, ensuring that there is no child born in Lagos who does not get an education because their parents cannot afford it."

He continued: "We have said we will make education truly free, not nominally free. Truly free, so people will not pay exam fees, they will not be asked to come and pay taxes at a point when they have to write their exams."

The distinction he drew between "truly free" and "nominally free" will ring a bell for many Lagos parents, who know the feeling of a school being called free while fees and levies keep surfacing, especially around exam season. Doherty did not, in the reports available, spell out how much the plan would cost or how it would be funded.

A daily meal for public school pupils

Beyond fees, the NDC flagbearer also promised a programme that would give children in Lagos public schools one affordable meal each day, Channels TV reported.

According to the broadcaster, Doherty framed his would-be government around lifting the living standards of Lagosians by giving them education and useful skills, positioning schooling as the centrepiece of his pitch to voters.

What happens next

The pledges remain campaign promises ahead of the 2027 governorship election. The available reports do not include responses from other candidates at the debate or details on timelines, budgets or how the free education and school meal plans would be implemented.