Assessment of Flood Risk Perception and Management Responses in Lokoja, Kogi State

This study assesses flood risk perception and management responses among residents and local government officials in Lokoja, Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. Lokoja, situated at the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, experiences recurrent flooding that has intensified in frequency and severity, displacing thousands of residents and damaging property, livelihoods, and infrastructure. The study employs a mixed methods approach combining a structured questionnaire survey of 200 flood-exposed households in Ganaja, Zango, and Sarkin Noma communities with qualitative interviews with ten Kogi State Emergency Management Agency officials and six Lokoja Local Government water resources and planning officers. The survey assessed flood experience, risk perception, preparedness actions, and satisfaction with governmental flood management. Results show that 94 percent of surveyed households have experienced at least one damaging flood in the past five years, with 61 percent reporting property losses. Risk perception is universally high, but only 28 percent of households have taken any structural protective action such as raising floor levels or constructing flood barriers. Early warning communication reaches fewer than 40 percent of survey respondents. Governmental respondents cite inadequate drainage maintenance, absent flood control infrastructure, and land use planning failures as the primary management gaps. The Kogi State Emergency Management Agency response is assessed as reactive rather than preventive. The study argues for a transition from emergency response to proactive risk reduction investment in Lokoja. Recommendations include a community-based flood early warning network and integration of flood risk mapping into Lokoja's urban planning documents. Keywords: flood risk, risk perception, Lokoja, emergency management, flood vulnerability.