Institutional Readiness and Performance in Flood Risk Management in Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Despite the efforts made to reduce risks, flood incidences in Nigeria have persistently led to loss of lives, property and infrastructure damage, as well as unsustainable environment. This study assessed the institutional readiness and performance in flood risk management in Southwest Nigeria. Survey research method was adopted, where data was collected from 66 respondents, selected purposely from Oyo, Ogun and Lagos states through the use of questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and multivariate probit model were used in the analysis of data with α = 0.05. The findings revealed that the participants originated from different organizations, with Ministries of Environment (27.3%) and Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (21.2%) representing the highest percentages. In the same vein, 83.3% of the personnel were male. However, the results from multivariate probit analysis suggested that the performance of intervention and personnel was significantly impacted by the existence of flood management facilities (β = 0.633), skills of personnel in flood management (β = 0.638), adequacy of the skills (β = -1.022), the availability of information (β = 1.074), and development of the personnel (β = 0.605). Marital status and awareness creation significantly influenced the performance of personnel. In conclusion, it was found out that the personnel in the forestry and environment agencies were highly prepared for flood mitigation interventions.