The National Democratic Congress (NDC) governorship candidate in Lagos, Funso Doherty, has called for an independent investigation into the recent flooding across the state, linking the incident to what he described as failures in environmental governance and questionable practices in major infrastructure projects.
The call followed widespread flooding recorded across parts of Lagos after heavy rainfall over the weekend of June 28–29, which submerged roads, homes and businesses in areas including Lekki, Victoria Island, Gbagada and Ikeja.
Doherty said the tendency to attribute the flooding solely to flash floods and improper waste disposal by residents does not fully explain the scale of destruction being witnessed, arguing that deeper governance issues are responsible for the recurring incidents.
In a detailed statement issued on his social media handle on Tuesday, he cited findings from a Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) report relating to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road contract awarded to Hi-Tech, which he said was obtained by his legal team in 2024 during a public and legal challenge over due process concerns.
According to him, the report indicated that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was made available to the BPP at the time of its review. He also pointed to provisions showing that N400 million was allocated for the EIA within the N1.1 trillion contract for Section 1 of the project.
Doherty raised two major concerns from the findings, noting that the project was designed, costed, awarded and already underway without a properly conducted Environmental Impact Assessment to evaluate and integrate environmental risks and safeguards.
He also alleged a conflict of interest in the arrangement, arguing that the contractor handling the project was also responsible for the Environmental Impact Assessment, a situation he said could compromise the independence and objectivity of the report.
The NDC guber candidate further linked the escalating flooding in communities around the coastal corridor to these alleged lapses, noting that the situation had already been acknowledged in part by the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment.
Doherty, however, stressed that while the situation is tragic, it should not come as a surprise if environmental due process was not followed.
He called for a comprehensive independent investigation into the projects and flooding, alongside urgent remediation measures and fair compensation for affected residents and business owners. He also demanded resettlement support where necessary for communities impacted by environmental failures.
According to him, a responsible and compassionate government must ensure that no contract—whether federal or state, regardless of size or political influence—is awarded or executed without full compliance with environmental safeguards provided by law to protect public welfare.