Flood risk perception in flood-affected communities in Lagos, Nigeria

Adelekan, Ibidun; Asiyanbi, Adeniyi

doi:10.1007/s11069-015-1977-2

Cited by 104 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Further insights from the results show that main policy actors champion the adoption of structural and non-structural strategies to combat flood hazards and there is no preponderance of one over the other in the narratives of all five groups. This aligns with the observation of Adelekan and Asiyanbi (2016), that there has been a shift in balance from structural to non-structural approaches in flood risk management in Lagos-Nigeria's most populous city, and further underscores the need to rethink the idea that developing countries are reliant on structural measures to control floods.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

A media framing analysis of urban flooding in Nigeria: current narratives and implications for policy

Adekola

Lamond

2017

Reg Environ Change

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A critical element of current flood management is the importance of engaging key policy actors when policy decisions are to be made. However, there is still only limited understanding of how narratives of flood management actors may influence flood management policies, even though there is a suggestion that actors can strategically use their narratives to influence policy directions. In a developing country like Nigeria, there are still questions around lessons that can be learnt from understanding the narratives of policy actors, to unravel the complex nature of strategies and policy directions in managing urban floods. To help fill these gaps, this paper uses quantitative content analysis to explore the frame of five policy actor groups (government, local communities, business, multilateral organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)) as expressed in local and national newspapers between 2012 and 2016 to understand their narratives of causes and strategies to solve the problem of urban flooding in Nigeria. The narratives of government, local communities and businesses align with the premise that flooding can and should be prevented whilst that of multilateral and business actors champion adaptation strategies on the basis that flooding is inevitable and hence more energy should be directed at 'living with water'-emergency response, damage reduction and the aftermath. The study also identified areas of potential consensus and conflict between direct actors such as government and local communities on the one hand and funders on the other. Better discussion among actors aiding understanding of contemporary thinking and local realities will aid policy-making and policy implementation in the Nigerian context. An important step will be in the collaborative design of an urgently needed 'Nigerian policy on flooding' which currently does not exist.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

A media framing analysis of urban flooding in Nigeria: current narratives and implications for policy

Adekola

Lamond

2017

Reg Environ Change

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“…Lagos State with a population of about 20-23 million (Lagos State Bureau of Statistics and Research 2013;UN 2014;Adelekan 2014;Adelekan and Asiyanbi 2016), is the commercial and industrial hub of Nigeria, and an important economic center in West Africa. Lagos State accounts for 60 % of Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product and 65 % of national investments (Lagos Bureau of Statistics 2013;Adelekan 2010Adelekan , 2015.…”

Section: Lagos State and Lagos Metropolitan Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability, Resilience and Transformation of Urban Areas in the Coastal Megacity Lagos: Findings of Local Assessments and a Household Survey in Highly Exposed Areas

et al. 2016

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Coastal urban regions in low-lying areas in developing countries are often hotspots of climate change related risks and therefore the analysis of different characteristics of vulnerability, resilience and transformation is an important prerequisite for planning and decision making. Even though the concepts of resilience and transformation have been discussed for some time, they often remain still very abstract. Against this background the following paper aims to illustrate how different characteristics of vulnerability: susceptibility, exposure and adaptation from resilience to transformative change can be assessed in practice at the level of individual households and different city districts. The household survey was conducted in four low-income, at risk areas in the coastal megacity of Lagos. It reveals important differences between the case study locations in jj Corresponding author. This is an Open Access article published by World Scientific Publishing Company. It is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY) License. Further distribution of this work is permitted, provided the original work is properly cited. J Extreme Events, Vol. 3, No. 3 (2016) terms of perceived capacities and actual responses of households to extreme events and creeping hazards. The analysis of behavioral changes undertaken after extreme events underscores that experience of loss and damage is an important stimulus for people to change their behavior. Moreover perception of actual and future risk management capacities and the performance of government institutions influences risk management regimes at the household level. It was found that at risk populations experienced both, inaction from government and individual households. This is a corrective to the majority literature that focuses on proactive local or government action. In fact, these examples of success may be quite rare and were not found in the four settlements studied in this research. The survey is part of a larger international project regarding the Transformation and Resilience of Urban Coasts (TRUC (2016). Transformation fo urban coasts Available at www.bel_truc.org) funded by the Belmont Forum and the DFG in particular in terms of the research in Lagos.

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“…Globally, the impacts of natural disasters such as droughts, earthquakes, and floods include loss of livestock and farmlands, destruction of infrastructure, and the displacement of populations and loss of human lives (Famine Early Warning Systems Network [FEWS NET] Nigeria, 2012-2013 Specifically, floods have been identified as the most common of all natural hazards (Jha, Bloch, & Lamond, 2012) and are responsible for more than half of all the fatalities, and a third of total economic losses from natural disasters (Adelekan & Asiyanbi, 2016;Kellens, Zaalberg, Neutens, Vanneuville, & De Maeyer, 2011). In Nigeria, floods remain the most common and significant natural disaster, and according to Onwuka, Ikekpeazu, and Onuoha (2015), floods constitute a major environmental problem in Anambra state as more than 30% of the state's population reside in riverine areas with fishing and agriculture as their main sources of livelihood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the event of disasters such as the 2012 flood, the importance of risk perception in disaster risk reduction and mitigation has been highlighted to include the anticipation and comprehension of people's responses to disasters, effective communication of risks information, and initiation and implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation strategies (Adelekan & Asiyanbi, 2016;Bradford et al, 2012;Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2012. Despite studies in Nigeria on the need for the populace to understand their environment and also assess their perception and knowledge of environmental disasters (Babalola, Babalola, & Okhale, 2010;Urcan, 2012), there is a dearth of research on people's perception of the 2012 flood as reported by the mass media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, it has been revealed that the Nigerian mass media do not give significant coverage and provide effective awareness on climate change issues even as they fail to offer adequate explanations to environmental issues in general (Batta, Ashong, & Bashir, 2013;Moeti, Maraisane, & Marou, 2008;Ukonu, Akpan, & Anorue, 2012). This can be seen in the reports on the 2012 flood as majority of the flood messages were presented in the straight news format, devoid of in-depth reports that could increase the knowledge of the populace on the causes and risks associated with the flood.In the event of disasters such as the 2012 flood, the importance of risk perception in disaster risk reduction and mitigation has been highlighted to include the anticipation and comprehension of people's responses to disasters, effective communication of risks information, and initiation and implementation of disaster prevention and mitigation strategies (Adelekan & Asiyanbi, 2016;Bradford et al, 2012; Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC], 2012. Despite studies in Nigeria on the need for the populace to understand their environment and also assess their perception and knowledge of environmental disasters (Babalola, Babalola, & Okhale, 2010;Urcan, 2012), there is a dearth of research on people's perception of the 2012 flood as reported by the mass media.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Perception of and Attitude Toward Mass Media Reportage of the 2012 Flood in Rural Nigeria

2016

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Despite reportage of the impending flood by the mass media, the 2012 flood was the most devastating in the history of Nigeria as it adversely affected 33 out of 36 states in the country. Therefore, this study examines people's perception of and attitude toward mass media reportage of the 2012 flood. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 households in rural communities in Delta and Anambra states while data analyses were by descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and regression analysis. More than 75% of the respondents received information about the flood from either radio or television, and there were significant spatial variations in perceptions of flood reportage. Furthermore, the regression results showed that generally, mass media reportage of the flood was not too effective in influencing people's attitude. Subsequently, recommendations were made on how to ensure that populations affected by floods have access to comprehensive, easily accessible, and effective information. SAGE Openproactive measures that could combat the effects of the floods and minimize its effects. These mass media messages were seemingly ignored, which led to the devastating effects of the flood as almost all states of the federation reported colossal destruction of properties, farmlands, animals, and even loss of human lives (OCHA, 2012).Evidence from studies in Nigeria indicates that people seem to have a negative perception of media reportage of issues. For instance, Afolabi (2010) noted that the mass media have not been timely in their reportage of conflicts and insurgencies. Other researchers also show that the Nigerian media have not effectively played a surveillance function in the reportage of conflicts and insurgencies, neither have they displayed a high level of objectivity in their reports (Okpara, 2010;Oputa, 2011;Lawrence, 2011;Hamida & Baba, 2014). This can partly be attributed to the fact that most media organizations in the country are owned by state (sub-national) governments and individuals, and as such, they are primarily used to promote the interests of their owners. In addition, it has been revealed that the Nigerian mass media do not give significant coverage and provide effective awareness on climate change issues even as they fail to offer adequate explanations to environmental issues in general (Batta, Ashong, & Bashir, 2013;Moeti, Maraisane, & Marou, 2008;Ukonu, Akpan, & Anorue, 2012). This can be seen in the reports on the 2012 flood as majority of the flood messages were presented in the straight news format, devoid of in-depth reports that could increase the knowledge of the populace on the causes and risks associated with the flood.In the event of disasters such as the 2012 flood, the importance of risk perception in disaster risk reduction and mitigation has been highlighted to include the anticipation and comprehension of people's responses to disasters, effective communication of risks information, and initiation and implementation of disaster prevention and mitiga...

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Flood risk perception in flood-affected communities in Lagos, Nigeria

Cited by 104 publications

References 61 publications

A media framing analysis of urban flooding in Nigeria: current narratives and implications for policy

A media framing analysis of urban flooding in Nigeria: current narratives and implications for policy

Vulnerability, Resilience and Transformation of Urban Areas in the Coastal Megacity Lagos: Findings of Local Assessments and a Household Survey in Highly Exposed Areas

Perception of and Attitude Toward Mass Media Reportage of the 2012 Flood in Rural Nigeria

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