By Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC).
THE Lagos State gubernatorial town hall debate organised by Business Day as part of its Business Day policy intervention series with the Organised Private Sector on Friday, November 13, 2026, featuring candidates from six parties out of the 17 political parties at a town hall meeting.
The debate provides a credible, non-partisan platform for participating candidates to present their agendas, defend their policy choices and respond to questions on the issues that matter most to residents, especially the electorate.
The Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC) brings you fact-checks from the live debate aired on Business Day as we monitor and combat false or manipulated narratives amid preparations for Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
Our team of journalists, researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, and OSINT experts drawn from the coalition’s partner-organisations, are working tirelessly to debunk claims from the debates.
This page is constantly being updated with verified information. Kindly scroll downward or refresh this page to latest checks.
CLAIM 1
CLAIM: Zebulon Agomuo, Editor of BusinessDay Sunday, claimed that Lagos State has the highest number of registered voters in Nigeria.
FINDINGS: According to figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in an October 2026 update, Lagos has the highest number of registered voters in Nigeria, with 7,488,633. Kano State follows with 6,570,276, while Kaduna State has 4,662,640.
VERDICT: Correct.
SOURCES: BBC, The Cable, and Daily Trust.
DATE: 13/11/2026.
AUTHOR: Sunday Awosoro.
EDITOR(S) : Motunrayo Joel, OPEYEMI KEHINDE & Simbiat.
CLAIM 2
CLAIM: Zebulon Agomuo, Editor of BusinessDay Sunday, claimed that Lagos State generates 13,000 to 14,000 tonnes of waste daily.
FINDINGS: A March 27, 2025, publication on the Lagos State Government’s website quoted the Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, as saying that Lagos generates between 13,000 and 14,000 tonnes of waste daily. The authority has been effectively evacuating the large volume of waste in partnership with Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Lagos State Waste Management Agency, The Guardian, Premium Times
DATE: 13/11/2026.
AUTHOR: Lademi Aborisade
EDITOR(S): Motunrayo Joel, OPEYEMI KEHINDE & Simbiat Bakare
CLAIM 3
CLAIM: Obafemi Hamzat, All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate and incumbent Deputy Governor of Lagos State, claimed that the Lagos State Government has built 21 housing estates and 18,000 housing units for citizens.
FINDINGS: On October 24, 2026, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced that his administration had delivered 10,623 housing units across 23 estates since 2019. Sanwo-Olu disclosed this while delivering a keynote speech at the Real Estate Discussions and Awards (REDA 2026).
The governor said the units comprised 4,414 units funded through direct budgetary allocations and 6,209 delivered through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
This figure remains below the 18,000 units Hamzat claimed.
VERDICT: INCORRECT.
SOURCE: Nairametrics and Plot Insider.
DATE: 13/11/2026.
AUTHOR: Sunday Awosoro.
EDITOR(S): Motunrayo Joel & Elizabeth Ogunbamowo
CLAIM 4
CLAIM: Obafemi Hamzat, the APC governorship candidate in Lagos State, claims that Lagos State is now the startup capital of the world.
FINDINGS: According to the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, which evaluates over 1,500 cities worldwide based on startup quantity, quality, and business environment, Lagos ranks 70th globally. Although Lagos climbed six spots from its previous position and remains ranked 1st in Nigeria and West Africa, it’s not the world’s startup capital.
Similarly, in the Startup Genome Global Startup Ecosystem Report, Lagos is recognised as a top emerging ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa, ranking number one in the sub-region for talent strength and AI-native clusters.
However, while Lagos State leads as #1 within Sub-Saharan Africa, it does not hold the #1 position globally.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCE: StartupBlinks, Techpoint Africa
DATE: 13/11/2026
AUTHOR: Zainab Abdulrasaq
EDITOR(S): OPEYEMI KEHINDE, MOTUNRAYO JOEL and SIMBIAT BAKARE.
CLAIM 5
CLAIM: Rotimi Odunaike, the Labour Party governorship candidate, claims Ilera Eko coverage is just 8 to 10% for about 22 million people.
FINDINGS: According to World Population Review, Lagos State has an estimated population of 14.9 million. Meanwhile, the Lagos State Health Management Agency (LASHMA) puts the number of people covered by Ilera Eko at approximately two million.
Based on these figures, the scheme covers about 13.4% of the estimated population, higher than the 8–10% coverage Rotimi Odunaike claims.
However, Nigeria last conducted a national population census in 2006, and population estimates for Lagos State vary.
VERDICT: INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
SOURCE: World Population Review, Lagos State Health Management Agency
DATE: 13/11/2026
AUTHOR: Lademi Aborisade
EDITOR(S): MOTUNRAYO JOEL & Elizabeth Ogunbamowo
CLAIM 6
CLAIM: Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat claims that 54% of women own businesses among the 120,000 small businesses in Lagos State.
FINDINGS: In 2022, BusinessDay reported that Lagos State accounted for over 60% of industrial and commercial activities in Nigeria, with 3,224,324 micro enterprises. Of these micro enterprises, about 43.32% are women-owned. The report further stated that out of 15,044 small enterprises and 619 medium enterprises, women owned 22.7%.
Meanwhile, on July 21, 2026, Lagos State Television (LTV) quoted chartered accountant Arinola Oguntoyinbo as saying that over 40% of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Lagos are operated by women. However, the report did not provide the underlying methodology used to arrive at the figure.
VERDICT: INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
SOURCE: BusinessDay, LTV
DATE: 13/11/2026
AUTHOR: Cole Praise
EDITOR(S): MOTUNRAYO JOEL, ELIZABETH OGUNBAMOWO
CLAIM 7
CLAIM: Obafemi Hamzat claims that Lagos State has 66 Permanent Secretaries and 49 of them are women.
FINDINGS: According to official statements from the Lagos State Government, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had sworn in a cumulative total of 111 permanent secretaries since the inception of his administration in May 2019 up to March 2025.
In October 2025, Nigeria Tribune reported that Sanwo-Olu swore in 10 new permanent secretaries, raising the tally to 121. In April 2026, Punch reported that Sanwo-Olu swore in another seven permanent secretaries, bringing the total to 128. By October 2026, after swearing in another six permanent secretaries, Punch reported that the administration’s cumulative appointment tally had reached 135.
However, these figures represent cumulative appointments over seven years rather than the exact number of currently serving (non-retired) permanent secretaries.
On gender representation, available public records point to approximate 50-50 gender parity within the Lagos State Body of Permanent Secretaries, rather than the 74.2 per cent female majority (49 out of 66) claimed by Hamzat.
During a September 2024 recognition event hosted by Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a report highlighted that 50 per cent of permanent secretaries in Lagos State are women.
The exact figure of 66 serving permanent secretaries and 49 women cannot be independently verified from public records.
VERDICT: INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
DATE: 13/11/2026
SOURCE: Lagos State Government, Daily Post, Nigeria Tribune, Punch, Women in Management, Business and Public Service
AUTHOR: Zainab Abdulrasaq
EDITOR(S): MOTUNRAYO JOEL, ELIZABETH OGUNBAMOWO
CLAIM 8
CLAIM: Olufunso Doherty, Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, claimed that Lagos local government areas received N157 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) in the first quarter of this year [2026].
FINDINGS: According to the first-quarter 2026 allocation figures compiled from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Lagos State’s 20 local government areas received a combined net allocation of ₦156.84 billion from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) between January and March 2026. This is close to Doherty’s rounded-up figure of N157 billion.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: NBS and Leadership.
DATE: 13/11/2026.
AUTHOR: Sunday Awosoro.
EDITOR(S) : MOTUNRAYO JOEL
CLAIM 9
CLAIM: Obafemi Hamzat, the APC governorship candidate in Lagos State, claimed that Lagos State scored first in the Ease of Doing Business Ranking
FINDINGS: The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) released its 2025 Subnational Ease of Doing Business Report, ranking Lagos State as the best-performing state, with a score of 85.6 per cent.
The assessment covered Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT, evaluating their business environments across 16 reform indicators and 36 sub-metrics covering electricity, infrastructure, digital connectivity, land administration, taxation, trade logistics, justice delivery, investor support, and skilled labour readiness.
A Punch report also corroborated Lagos State’s first-place position and its 85.6 per cent score.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, Punch Newspapers, Arise News
DATE: 13/11/2026.
AUTHOR: Lademi Aborisade
EDITOR(S): MOTUNRAYO JOEL, OPEYEMI KEHINDE & ELIZABETH OGUNBAMOWO
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
