Governance and Human security in Anambra State.
ABSTRACT
Between May 1999 and 2007, Anambra state went through six administrations; namely Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Chris Ngige, Peter Obi, Virgie Etiaba Andy Uba and back to Peter Obi. Within the period, Anambra state received a total N213, 262, 725, 656.33 from Federation Account for the state and local governments. This excludes funds generated from internal sources. Despite these huge financial resources, the service delivery and condition of living of the people were still essentially low.
This situation was manifested by the apparent drop in the individual person’s capacity to satisfy his basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. This raises the question on the relationship that exists between governance and human security in Anambra state. Human security includes the condition necessary for the survival, livelihood and dignity of the individual, the respect of human right, and access to education, healthcare as well as ensuring that each individual has opportunities and choices to fulfill one’s potentials.
The process of achieving better condition and changing the situation of insecurity is entrusted to the state through the process of governance. Governance connotes the manner in which power is exercised in the management of the resources of a group of people for the attainment of set objectives. It involves the executive, the legislature, the judiciary and the bureaucratic machinery – the public bureaucracy – at all levels. The central aim of this study was to evaluate the place of governance in the enhancement of human security in Anambra state.
Specifically, it sought to establish the connection between governance and the state of health service in Anambra state; analyze the impact of governance on education in the state; determine how the policy of the state administration impacted on human rights situation; ascertain if there the relationship between inadequate planning and implementation of policy programmes by the state administration and the condition of poverty and personal security in Anambra state.
INTRODUCTION
At the inauguration of the Nigeria’s civilian administration in May 29th 1999, the expectation was that the end had come for the era of insecurity and the seeming intractable conflicts that characterized the final days of the military regime. It gave hope that a foundation for quicker development had been laid in the country. At the last year of the military regime, the social situation in Nigeria had become very problematic.Infact the last ten (10) years of the military rule were specifically turbulent (see Tedheke, 2005: Elagwu. 2005: Wakili 2005: Bakoje, 2005 etc).
Explaining the reasons for such situation, Mbah (2008:3) linked it to the failure of the neo-liberal economic policies that became more pungent in the 80’s and manifested in unfriendly impact on the people: widespread unemployment, hunger and misery, precarious health conditions and other similar conditions symptomatic of extreme poverty in the society; this exposed the spheres of social security to all sorts of crises (see also Obasi, 1989).
With the individual means of livelihood and standard of living dropping below tolerable level, conflict increased involving both groups and individuals creating further insecurity to lives and properties. The sustenance of internal conflicts in Nigeria is linked to poverty and these conflicts generate low level of development in the country (Nwanegbo, 2008: 30-38). More specific consequences were seen in the impact it had on the capacity of the individual members of the society in providing their basic needs of life (food, clothing, shelter).
It affects both the social, political, economic, environmental and cultural conditions. It equally reduces, if not entirely denies the people of their fundamental freedom and basic rights – denies the people access to education, healthcare, opportunities and choices and subjects them to a deep situation of uncertainty. All these which anchors on the security of human persons create a new view and another dimension of problem that calls for inquiry.
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StudentsandScholarship Team.
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