Funke Akindele, the deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, has claimed there are over two million out-of-school children in the state.

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Akindele, the Nollywood actress, was officially unveiled as the running mate of Olajide Adediran, Lagos PDP governorship candidate better known as Jandor, on Tuesday.

On Thursday, she appeared on ‘Politics Today‘, a Channels Television programme, to talk about her party’s blueprint for Lagos if elected.

When asked what she thinks is the biggest challenge in the state, Akindele said it was ‘infrastructure deficit.’

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She also lamented the challenges in the education sector.

The actress, citing the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), claimed Lagos alone has over two million out-of-school children.

“(In Lagos) we’re suffering from infrastructure and decay. Yes, Lagos is a metropolitan city, it’s large and sophisticated. It’s a commercial and tech hub while a lot come in to do business here,” she said.

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“So, we should not be talking about bad roads and poor health system. Look at the children; we have over two million out-of-school children in Lagos here. Too bad! so we need to do something about it.

“You said education is free, do they have uniforms? Can’t we provide at least one free meal for them, provide good learning and teaching aids, train and retrain teachers…there are several unemployed youths out there, what programmes do we have for them.”

‘WE WON’T BUILD LAGOS ON ASSUMPTIONS’ — AKINDELE STRUGGLES WITH QUESTIONS

During the interview, the actress appeared to have struggled with some of the questions asked by the host.

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When asked how she and Jandor would address the issue of funding — essential for improving infrastructure — when elected, she promised to address that later.

She also claimed that she has a strategic team working on data in the state, adding that her team “won’t build Lagos on assumptions”.

“Presently we’re working with a strategic team; of course I am going to keep on talking about it, we are going to proffer solutions where we have the data,” she quipped.

“You are not just going to build Lagos on assumptions. So we’re working with a strategic team to get enough data. I’m coming in for the children, for the young people and women, for the Lagosians.

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“I am saying that a lot is going wrong in Lagos. I just remain focus on the problems we’re going through and proffer solutions. I’m tired of talking and typing. I’m calling you know to make a change.”

A similar scenario played out when she was asked how her team intends to address the challenges facing ports in Lagos.

“Like I said earlier, we’re working, most especially me. I’m working with a strategic team for our blueprint because you don’t have Lagos built on assumptions,” she replied.

Several Nigerians have taken to social media to react to her performance during the interview:

Here are what some had to say:

 



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