Doherty Urges Compensation for Lagos Flood Victims

Funso Doherty, a gubernatorial candidate from the Democratic Congress, has called on the Lagos State Government to compensate victims of recent floods and to conduct an independent investigation into the coastal road project. Following heavy rainfall that caused widespread flooding, submerging roads and disrupting commercial activities, Doherty attributed the disaster to environmental failures linked to major infrastructure projects.

He highlighted that indiscriminate waste disposal has contributed to the flooding, but this does not fully explain the scale of the devastation. Doherty criticized the Lagos State Government for failing to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the coastal road project, despite a provision of N400 million for such assessments in a contract worth N1.1 trillion awarded to Hi-Tech Construction.

He emphasized the need for proper environmental assessments to prevent further hardships for affected communities and urged the government to ensure compliance with environmental laws in future contracts.