Diplomatic Strategies Employed by Enugu State Government in the Management of Crisis

Written by Enema Oluchi

The extent of development of an organisation is put to test by its ability to manage and contain crisis diplomatically.

Although no institution exists without flaws, its capability is measured by the strategies it employs in the face of problems.

In this light, Enugu State governance has always shown a high level of maturity in its methods of curtailing crisis.

One of the many problems tackled by the government since the inception of the office of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is the issue of security.

It is important to note that a characteristic of a good government is the consideration of the common people, following the ideology of democracy which governs the nationwide, and the state in particular. The government of Enugu State has done a great deal since they came into power to abide by this ideology, making the needs of the people a priority in ensuring their safety.

Security is not an objective condition as it is popularly understood to be. It is not limited to the physical safety of not being threatened or physically harmed by an armed person or a force. It is rather extended to the psychological, emotional and financial stability of the individuals in the society.

The Enugu State government has addressed and tackled this issue of security from these aforementioned different aspects, its result productive as well as evident in the state of the cities within the State.

Financial Insecurity

It has been observed that throughout the nation, it seems as though there are more job seekers roaming the streets with certificates than the number of people who are actually employed.

In tackling this problem, the Enugu State government has employed different means over the years, ranging from organising skill acquisition programs to providing job opportunities in different sectors. An instance is the job vacancy currently being advertised by JobcenterNigeria.

Furthermore, they have extended this opportunity to a field that makes no requirement for education; the Clean Team Project has provided the opportunity for thousands of Enugu State residents to make a living by cleaning the streets. A deep understanding of this particular project shows a strategic means of killing two birds with a stone; keeping the environment clean as well as providing financial security to a lot of people at the same time.

Travel Insecurity

The building of roads was one of the first projects that the present Enugu State government embarked on as soon as they came into power. They continued from where the former government stopped in building good roads and even went further to extend this project of theirs to areas in the rural parts of the state like Isi Ama Mbu-Amon, Ogbodu-Aba, Ezimo, etc. showing the level of their competency in ensuring that no side is considered less important.

The effect of this is that the number of accidents which were usually recorded especially along Enugu-Nsukka road was deeply reduced. It has also encouraged more people to visit the cities in Enugu State, encouraging the flow of business and tourism in the state. The clearing of hidden bushes and the creation of tarred roads from them have also discouraged the activities of armed robbers who usually make use of the hidden paths for their nefarious activities.

Another strategy the government has taken that has also reduced crime in the state is the increased number of police and military checkpoints on roads. It is not news that many people have in the past been sceptical of travelling in the night due to fear of experiencing armed robbery.

The mere presence of these officers has built a feeling of safety, protection in the minds of the people, and gone as far as slashing the number of recorded cases of highway robbery and murder. The effects of this cannot be overemphasized or undermined.

Local Communities Insecurity

The diplomatic means of curtailing the uprising crisis which the government has employed in situations is praiseworthy. The tension in Nsukka on Saturday the 31st day of October 2020 as a result of inter-tribal differences in Nsukka carried with it the terrific fear of a serious impending inter-tribal and inter-religious war.

There was an air of instability that embraced every resident of Nsukka town on that Saturday, and many were so scared that they ran into their homes. Insecurity gripped everyone’s minds, but the strategy used by the governor to solve the problem has remained outstanding even after a few months.

He was quick to take an action; sending a representative to visit the Muslim community in the affected area; compensating all those who had lost their properties and rebuilding the two mosques vandalised during the conflict.

This ensured peace between the two tribes, and as further proof that the peaceful negotiation was handled properly, as was written by Kess Ewubare, the Chief Imam of Nsukka Central Mosque, Alhaji Yakubu Omeh and the leaders of the Hausa community assured the state government that the peaceful coexistence between them and the Igbo tribe would not be salvaged by the conflict.

This has not only ensured the continuance of inter-tribal coexistence and peace in Nsukka but has at the same time achieved religious peace in the community.

Health Insecurity

In the health sector, the government also approached the worldwide pandemic, COVID-19 with a strategy that speaks well of its level of development. It has been recorded by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that in comparison to the number of lab-confirmed cases and the people who were able to recover from it to the statistics of recorded deaths, the health sector although not yet perfect, did a commendable job in ensuring the recovery of the affected people.

The strict bans placed by the government on locations that usually attract crowds, including their spread of awareness through different media platforms went a long way in managing the pandemic.

It is also important to recall another challenge faced in Nigeria in the previous year, 2020; the yellow fever outbreak. The health sector tackled this adequately, quickly distributing vaccines to different government-approved hospitals and spreading awareness that would make it easier for the epidemic to be curtailed.

Enugu State was among the states in Nigeria hit by this disease, and the government swung into action with swiftness, making the preventive measures available and cooperating with health services to see to the management of this virus.

This ability of the current government to prevent the crisis from escalating proves their level of political development, for an understanding of the democratic ideology shows that without the people as a priority, then the political power is yet to develop.

In the face of crisis, the Enugu State government has made commendable use of their political power to address social, economic and religious issues.

Originally published at http://discoverenugu042.wordpress.com on April 16, 2021.