Flood disaster and national security: A criminologist`s exploration of Lagos metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

The global disaster trends are worrisome to all stakeholders. The ugly consequences of flood disasters include loss of lives and property, disruption of economic activities, creating insecurity like theft, robbery, and many more. The consequence also puts pressure on the government to spend limited resources on rehabilitation and compensation of flood victims. Hence, this paper addresses flood-disaster preparedness and flood control in Nigeria through the criminological exploration of Lagos metropolis. The study applied exploratory and descriptive methods and relied on data generated through content analysis of books, journals, and online materials. This paper adopted the social control theory by Hirsch and broken window theory by George Kelly. The finding showed that people lack preparedness for the disaster events; they break urban master plans and structures to obstruct to flood. The anti-social attitude like indiscriminate dumping of solid wastes into drainages and carnal and weak enforcement of environmental laws. Also, undue cutting down of trees, lack of environmental policy and lack of political will to implement the existing ones, poor attitude to social and environmental policies are among the factors that are responsible for poor preparedness for flood disaster in Lagos Metropolis. The paper recommends effective public enlightenment, public advocacy on environmental safety and health security, rigorous enforcement of environmental laws, and an urban renewal scheme. This paper will benefit the ministries of environment and physical planning, the state, and the federal emergency agencies, non-governmental agencies, and researchers in the security and emergency studies.