Doherty Faults Fact-Checkers Over Lagos N1.77tn Revenue Claim, Demands Apology

Lagos governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Funso Doherty, has challenged fact-checkers at the 2027 governorship debate over their assessment of his claim that Lagos generates more internally generated revenue than 31 states combined, insisting that National Bureau of Statistics figures support his position.

Daniel Momodu · November 9, 2026 · 74

The governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Lagos State, Funso Doherty, has faulted fact-checkers at the Lagos Governorship Debate over their initial assessment of his claim that the state generates more internally generated revenue (IGR) than 31 other states combined.

Doherty, in a post on X on Sunday, demanded an apology, maintaining that his statement during the debate was supported by figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

He said the 2025 data showed that Lagos generated approximately ₦1.77tn in IGR, compared with about ₦1.73tn generated collectively by 31 other states.

“The debate fact-checkers called me out during the debate but they got it wrong,” he said, insisting that his figures were accurate.

He also shared a breakdown of the states and their respective revenue figures, citing the NBS microdata portal as the source of his information.

The controversy followed the governorship debate organised by the Nigeria Debate Consortium, comprising The PUNCH, Channels Television, TVC News, TheCable and Vanguard, ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election.

During his opening remarks, Doherty had argued that Lagos's major challenge was not a lack of financial resources but the failure of successive administrations to translate the state's substantial revenue into improved living conditions for residents.

He cited the revenue comparison to question the quality of essential public services, particularly healthcare and education, despite the state's earnings.

The NBS 2025 IGR report showed that Lagos generated approximately ₦1.77tn, the highest among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The combined IGR of all states and the FCT stood at about ₦5.15tn.

Following the debate, the Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition reviewed the figures and calculated that the 31 states in Doherty's comparison generated approximately ₦1.574tn collectively.

The coalition subsequently rated his central claim as correct, confirming that Lagos's revenue exceeded the combined earnings of the 31 states.