Evaluating Urban Resilience Strategies in Post-Flood Recovery Planning in Kogi State

Post-flood urban recovery presents a critical window for building long-term urban resilience, yet most Nigerian flood-affected cities have struggled to translate recovery experiences into durable risk reduction planning improvements. This study evaluates urban resilience strategies embedded in or absent from post-flood recovery planning processes in Kogi State, focusing on responses to the 2022 flood in Lokoja and Ajaokuta. Using a resilience framework that examines robustness, resourcefulness, redundancy, and rapidity as urban system properties, the study assesses recovery program documentation, planning decisions made during the recovery period, and institutional learning outcomes. Interviews were conducted with 28 planning officials, emergency managers, community leaders, and development organization representatives. A household survey of 280 flood-affected residents assessed recovery outcomes and changed risk behaviours. The study examines whether recovery interventions were guided by risk-informed planning or reverted to pre-flood patterns. Findings are expected to reveal limited institutionalization of resilience thinking in recovery planning, with most interventions addressing immediate physical repair rather than structural risk reduction, and limited community participation in recovery plan design. The study identifies specific institutional and capacity gaps preventing more resilience-oriented recovery planning in Kogi State. Recommendations address development of a Kogi State Urban Resilience Framework, integration of recovery planning into pre-existing hazard risk management systems, mandatory risk-informed siting for all recovery housing assistance, and community resilience assessment tools for local government planning departments. Keywords: Urban resilience, Post-flood recovery, Kogi State, Disaster risk reduction, Lokoja.