Multimodal Coordination Gaps in Disaster Response Logistics
Evidence from Flood Emergency Operations in Nigeria's Niger Delta Region
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Abstract
The Niger Delta presents a uniquely challenging emergency logistics environment characterized by extensive creek systems, seasonal inundation of road networks, and dispersed communities accessible only by water or air, yet emergency response operations in the region rely predominantly on road transport, with minimal integration of inland waterway and aviation modalities. This study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional research design, collecting primary data through structured questionnaires administered to 158 emergency response officers, logistics coordinators, and transport officials across Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers States (95.2% response rate). Survey instruments measured modal utilisation patterns, inter-agency coordination effectiveness, response time performance, and infrastructural adequacy across transport modes. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression to identify the institutional, informational, and infrastructural predictors of multimodal coordination failure. Findings showed that road transport accounted for a mean of 74.6% of relief delivery operations against an estimated operational requirement of only38%, while inland waterway transport accounted for just 16.3% against an estimated requirement of 48%, with an adequacy rating of 1.74 out of5.00. Overall inter-agency coordination effectiveness was rated Very Poor (composite mean = 1.86). All three barrier categories institutional fragmentation, informational deficits, and infrastructural inadequacy were significantly and positively correlated with poor logistics performance (p<0.01), and multiple regression confirmed institutional fragmentation as the strongest independent predictor (β=0.441, p<.001), with the model explaining 68.1% of variance inperformance (R²=0.681). These findings demonstrate that road-centrism in Niger Delta emergency logistics is institutionally entrenched ratherthan operationally optimal, and that inland waterway underutilisation is driven by measurable governance and infrastructural deficits. Drawing on these results, the study proposes a Multimodal Emergency Logistics Coordination Framework (MELCF) tailored to the Niger Delta's hydrological and institutional context, contributing original quantitative evidence to the discourse on multimodal humanitarian logistics in African deltaic environments and offering actionable recommendations for transport administrators, emergency planners, and institutional stakeholders.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ayobami Abdulmateen Gbadegesin, Olanrewaju Tolu Omigbodun, Goodness Oluwapelumi Olaleye (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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