By Sani Idris Abdulrahman

A Kaduna-based NGO, the BEACON of Transformative and Inclusive Development Center has called for inclusive disaster planning, functional early warning systems and stronger accountability to protect vulnerable communities in Kaduna State.

The Executive Director of the organisation, Mrs Abigail Olatunde, made the call in a statement issued to commemorate the 2026 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The statement, themed “Resilience Starts at Home,” urged governments and relevant authorities to prioritise disaster prevention, safer infrastructure and community preparedness.

Olatunde said homes should provide safety, stability and protection but could become sources of serious risk for families in flood-prone communities, environmentally fragile settlements and areas with inadequate infrastructure.

She said the theme highlighted the importance of building resilience where people lived, raised their children, earned their livelihoods and supported one another.

However, she questioned how families could build resilience when conditions determining their safety were beyond their individual control.

The organisation noted that floods, erosion, windstorms, drought, extreme heat, environmental degradation and disease outbreaks continued to damage homes, farms, roads, schools, health facilities and livelihoods across Nigeria.

It cited national and humanitarian assessments indicating that the 2022 floods affected more than 4.4 million people, displaced over 2.4 million and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.

The statement added that the 2024 floods affected communities across several states, demonstrating increasing disaster risks amid inadequate preparedness and prevention.

Olatunde said Kaduna State was also vulnerable, particularly communities along the Kaduna River and other waterways, as well as settlements exposed to flooding and erosion.

She explained that flooding and poor drainage disrupted transportation, damaged homes and businesses, contaminated water sources and exposed families to diseases.

According to her, heavy rainfall and dry spells also threaten agricultural production in rural communities.

She attributed the worsening risks to deforestation, unplanned settlements, blocked drainage channels, weak enforcement of land-use regulations and inadequate maintenance of public infrastructure.

The executive director said disasters were not always inevitable, stressing that decisions on settlement patterns, public investment, early warnings and preventive action could either increase or reduce their impact.

She noted that disasters affected people differently, with persons with disabilities facing inaccessible warnings, evacuation routes and shelters.

Children, older persons, pregnant women and people requiring continuous care also faced heightened protection risks during emergencies, she said.

Olatunde added that women and low-income households often carried disproportionate economic and caregiving burdens during displacement and recovery.

She said farmers, petty traders, informal workers and households dependent on daily income could lose their livelihoods following a single flood or prolonged climate shock.

The organisation maintained that disaster risk reduction should extend beyond emergency response and relief distribution to address the environmental, social, economic and institutional conditions that created vulnerability.

It said household preparedness was essential, urging families to obtain reliable hazard information, develop emergency plans, identify safe evacuation options and learn how to protect one another.

However, the statement stressed that public awareness alone could not compensate for blocked drainage, unsafe buildings, poor roads, inaccessible facilities and weak early warning systems.

“Resilience cannot be treated as a household responsibility while governments and institutions evade responsibility for the systems and policies that determine public safety,” it said.

The organisation called on the Kaduna State Government, local government authorities, emergency management institutions, traditional and community leaders, development partners and relevant federal agencies to strengthen disaster prevention.

It urged the state to integrate disaster risk reduction into development planning and public investment through published risk assessments and effective land-use regulations.

The statement also called for the protection of waterways and wetlands, regular drainage maintenance, stronger roads and bridges, and safer, accessible schools, health facilities and public buildings.

It stressed that preventive measures should receive adequate funding before disasters occurred rather than being improvised after communities had suffered losses.

On early warnings, the organisation urged authorities to establish stronger community-centred systems capable of reaching residents before floods and other hazards occurred.

It recommended using radio, mobile alerts, community networks, religious institutions, schools, traditional leaders and local languages to disseminate warnings.

The statement said information should also be provided in accessible formats, including Nigerian Sign Language, visual alerts and other communication methods suitable for persons with disabilities.

It added that early warnings should be connected to clear evacuation plans, identified shelters, transport arrangements and strategically positioned relief supplies.

The organisation further urged authorities to involve residents in identifying local risks and developing appropriate solutions.

It said women, young people, persons with disabilities, older persons, farmers, informal workers and marginalised communities should participate meaningfully in disaster planning.

According to the statement, local risk maps and preparedness plans should be developed with communities and publicly displayed to inform residents about hazards, responsibilities and available support.

On livelihoods, Olatunde called for expanded climate-smart agriculture, livelihood diversification, social protection, accessible insurance and rapid recovery assistance for affected households.

She said disasters could destroy incomes, increase household debt and deepen poverty, particularly among families dependent on small-scale agriculture, livestock, informal businesses and other climate-sensitive activities.

The organisation urged authorities to ensure that recovery programmes were transparent, inclusive and designed to reduce future risks rather than reproduce existing vulnerabilities.

It also called for stronger public accountability, urging the state government and local authorities to reflect disaster risk reduction commitments in budgets, procurement plans, implementation schedules and measurable results.

The statement recommended public reporting on drainage maintenance, flood-risk interventions, emergency preparedness, relief distribution and recovery spending.

It said citizens and civil society organisations should monitor public investments, report hazards and demand corrective action before preventable risks developed into humanitarian emergencies.

The organisation also advocated stronger disaster data management and coordination among government agencies, civil society organisations, communities and development partners.

It said Kaduna needed regularly updated, publicly accessible information on flood-prone locations, vulnerable households, damaged infrastructure, evacuation routes and available emergency services.

Such coordination, it said, would help prevent fragmented interventions that left high-risk communities without adequate support.

Olatunde reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to inclusive development, climate-resilient livelihoods, community resilience, research and social accountability.

She said the organisation would continue advocating approaches that placed the needs, experiences and voices of at-risk populations at the centre of development and disaster preparedness.

The statement urged the Kaduna State Government and relevant authorities to translate commitments into measurable action through publicly funded prevention, functioning early warning systems, safer infrastructure, inclusive planning and accountability for disaster risk reduction spending.

It stressed that resilience should be measured by how effectively risks were reduced before disasters occurred.

“A resilient home cannot exist apart from its community. A resilient community cannot exist without inclusive infrastructure, functioning institutions and accountable governance,” the statement said.

It added that resilience began at home but depended on the systems, decisions and investments shaping the safety of every household.

The organisation called for communities in Kaduna and across Nigeria where safety was treated as a shared development priority rather than a privilege determined by income, location or ability.