Compensate Lagos flood victims, probe coastal road, Doherty tells govt

The Lagos State governorship candidate of the National Democratic Congress, Funso Doherty, has called on the Lagos State Government to compensate residents and business owners affected by the recent flooding across the state, urging an independent investigation into whether environmental failures linked to major infrastructure projects contributed to the disaster.

Doherty made the call in a post on X on Tuesday, following widespread flooding triggered by heavy rainfall that submerged roads, stranded motorists and disrupted commercial activities across Lagos.

He argued that while indiscriminate waste disposal may have contributed to the flooding, it did not fully explain the scale of the devastation witnessed across the state.

“Lagos is once again being ravaged by flood waters. Homes flooded, businesses shut, with widespread damage to lives and property. Yet again, this is being attributed to flash flooding and, predictably, fingers are being pointed at residents disposing waste irresponsibly. This however does not tell the whole story,” he wrote.

Doherty blamed what he described as long-standing failures in environmental governance at both the state and federal levels, citing documents his legal team obtained from the Bureau of Public Procurement regarding the Lagos Coastal Road project.

According to him, the documents indicated that no Environmental Impact Assessment was made available to the BPP when it reviewed the contract, despite a N400m provision for the assessment being included in the N1.1tn contract awarded to Hi-Tech Construction for Section One of the project.

“It shows that the road contract was specified, designed, costed and awarded (and it subsequently commenced) without an EIA having first been properly done to assess and incorporate environmental concerns,” he said.

He also criticised the arrangement under which the contractor was responsible for procuring the Environmental Impact Assessment.

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“For such a project, the EIA should not be procured through the contractor building the road (Hi-Tech) as part of its contract, as there is an obvious conflict of interest in those roles that could undermine the independence of the EIA and impair the objectivity of its conclusions,” Doherty added.

He said the flooding affecting communities adjoining the coastal road should not have come as a surprise.

“I call for a proper independent investigation, prompt remediation measures and provision for fair compensation for losses suffered by residents and property owners with resettlement assistance as appropriate, where failure to follow due process and adhere to the Environmental Impact Assessment laws is established to have contributed to or caused the severe hardship being endured by affected communities,” he said.

He further urged governments to ensure that infrastructure contracts comply with environmental laws.

“A compassionate and responsible Government will ensure that no contract, federal or state, however large, however politically connected, is awarded and executed without complying with the environmental safeguards that our laws provide to protect and preserve the welfare and well-being of our people,” he stated.

PUNCH Online had reported that heavy rainfall which swept across Lagos over the weekend triggered widespread outrage, with many residents criticising the Lagos State Government over recurring flooding that submerged major roads, stranded motorists, disrupted commercial activities and left homes underwater.

The downpour flooded roads in Gbagada, Iyana Ipaja, Ikorodu Road, Ikeja, Maryland, Mushin, Ogudu, Lekki, Oshodi, Agege, Alimosho and Obalende, while sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and Lekki-Epe Expressway were also affected, worsening traffic congestion across the state.

Videos circulating on social media showed submerged roads, stranded vehicles, flooded residential estates and residents wading through knee-deep floodwaters.