6000 people enter Lagos daily but only 3,000 leave – Deputy Gov

-Raises concerns over state population growth

November 03, 2024

By Samuel Ogunsona

Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, has expressed concerns over the state’s rapid population growth, revealing that approximately 6,000 people enter Lagos daily, with only 3,000 leaving.

This results in a significant number of individuals staying behind without known addresses.

Speaking at the 2024 Annual Directors Conference Dinner, Hamzat noted that Lagos’ estimated 27 million population struggles with a budget of N2.2 trillion ($1.3 billion).

In contrast, New York State, with a population of 19.5 million, has a budget of $237 billion (2023).

Hamzat emphasized that while the state cannot prevent people from seeking better opportunities, the population explosion puts immense pressure on the annual budget.

He attributed Nigeria’s challenges to the collapse of the family unit, highlighting the increasing number of women shouldering sole responsibility for their children.

He said, “The budget of Lagos 2024 is N2.3 trillion. Now the next one is Rivers, N700bn, look at the gap. But that N2.2 trillion is $1.3bn. The budget of New York State with population of 19.2m as at 2023, the budget is $237bn.

“The budget of Lagos with 27m people and counting because every day over 6000 will come in and only about 3000 will go back with no known address. So it keeps increasing because people want to live a good life. You can’t blame them for that. But our budget is $1.3bn, the highest in the country.

“The next one is less than half, it is about one-third which is Rivers but the budget of the State of New York with less population (19m) is $237bn.”

Representing Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat stressed the need for sustainable solutions to address Lagos’ growing population and its implications on the state’s resources.

He added, “So a lot of times you receive text. I keep receiving text, I need help, I am a widow. So I was now wondering how many widows we have in Lagos.

“What did we find out? There are widows but the husbands are still living. As at the last count when I said enough, we had 138,000 women. The high percentage, the men just leave. So a man has a wife with three children, four children, five children and you just leave. So those are the problems in this country. If we don’t solve the family unit, nothing will work.”

The event, tagged “Business Meets Government Dinner,” was chaired by retired Justice Amina Adamu Augie of the Supreme Court. Hamzat’s remarks underscored the urgency for effective governance and planning to ensure Lagos’ infrastructure and services can accommodate its expanding population.