THE ROLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

THE ROLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT (A CASE STUDY OF UKANAFUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study

Ukanafun has been emerged with a lot of crisis right from its creation in the year 1971 and till today Ukanafun is still having a challenge of crisis.

Ukanafun Local Government Area has numerous crisis that characterized the Local Government Area such as;

• Kidnapping
• Political Tussles
• Killing

• Inter-Villages Crisis etc.

This research work seeks to look of the arrays of the crisis and how possible public relations could be used to tackle some of the crisis. Hence Ukanafun has been declared a Local Government of emergency till furrhter notice.

Crisis emerged in the universe right from the beginning of man and has remained a reoccurring decimal but not without effects. Man’s interactions with the environment coupled with the sophistication of the present age. Thus, people get involved in many activities with the prime objective to satisfy their basic or primary needs (Psychological and safety) and secondary needs (social, esteem and self fulfillment). In the process to achieve these need, crisis always emerge either between employee and employee and the management of an organization.

On the other hand organization and groups strive to win a bigger shame of the market as to make profit than rivals which will result in intensive. Communities due to interest will engage in crisis. Crisis is a necessary evil with us in Ukanafun Local Government area.

Presently, hardly is there any day without news of crisis from our media whether religion, political or industrial crisis. Of a truth, crisis has been with us for centuries but the spate of current violent crisis in organization government and communities portents grave danger and threaten the growth and stability of the society.

This situation requires appropriate measures and structures to manage properly these evil called crises.

According to Nkwocha (1999), crisis is any event, issue, occurrence or situation that will be described as a turning point for better or for worse. Crisis is also a period of heightened uncertainty that increase the demand to plan at the time in which both external and internal pressure change the goals and operational practices of an organization.

Crisis is a departure or expected and usual. In other words it is dysfunctional and is a disturbance in the normal functioning of the organization. It is wise to comment that crisis and conflict occur because it is functional and strengthening for solid change as well as organizational change at specific time.

This is so because crisis can strengthen organization internally, that relations, among department and units could reinforced and grow for instance, challenge and competition with other organization with in the industry. This may bring about unprecedented co-operation and unity that further strengthened the internal unity of the organization. It is interesting to know that crisis can empower organization with in an industry that many have been discriminated against, and could have been left out in taking part in coming together which will be healthy to these minority group by strengthening their unity bond.

In this direction, Salu (1994), view crisis as one of the agents and path of effective change unimaginable in organization. A crisis in some way causes something never to be the same again in a way.

We move further to define management as the process of planning, controlling, co-ordinating, directing and supervising to achieve the desired goal (Ewurum 2000).

But before we delve into defining the concept of crisis management let us look at various types of crisis to gives us a clear understanding of the concept.

Crisis management according to Nweke (2001) is advise advanced on the need to plan and possibly do everything within your reach to ensure and prevent an uncanny event not to occur.

Nwaocha (1999) view crisis management to involve the application of appropriate steps to either prevent a crisis not to occur or to promptly control it once it occurs. Crisis management is proactive, preventive and pre-planned in nature.

Public relations practitioners are mostly concerned in the proactive crisis management. To be effective and efficient the public relations experts are required to be skillful technical knowledgeable and aimed with full information necessary to the effective crisis management. One of the best methods of handling crisis is to plan ahead anticipate crisis at any moment or point in time, mapping of preventive control measures and strategies in the eventful occurrence of crisis at all look.

But one, the other hand management of crisis is a situation of already occurred. This usually involve five bridge and reactive approach which involve teaching sporadic and largely unco-ordinated actions to stop the crisis. Management of crisis is very wasteful compared to timely crisis management.

1.2       Statement of Problem

In the history of Ukanafun, right from the pre-colonial era, the inhabitant have been witnessing several crisis caused by several agents the outbreak which many comes as a result of a little misunderstanding between two parties had overtime been recorded with destruction of both lives and properties, thereby making life meaningless and reducing government developmental aspiration towards Ukanafun Local Government Area.

However, the problems include the following:

1. Ukanafun had no crisis communication plan in place.
2. Ukanafun also have numerous crisis that characterized the Local Government Area such as:

• Killing
• Political Tussles
• Kidnapping etc.

Consequently, it is against this backup that this research work will base  its focus, and also carry out an empirical study to examin whether or not public relations in Ukanafun has significant effect on the crisis management. Hence, this research work therefore aims at discovering the Roles, significances and effectiveness of Public Relations in crisis management in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

1.3       Objectives of the study

The nucleus objective of this research is to investigate how to manage and possibly reduces the frequency of crisis to a more productive activity, to promote Government developmental aspiration in Ukanafun. Specifically the research objectives include:

1. To trace and identify the causes of crisis in Ukanafun
2. To determine the ratio of Public Relations officers and public Relations Tools towards reducing the rate of crisis in Ukanafun.

• To examine the previous methods that were used and explain why there have been unsuccessful management of crisis in Ukanafun.

1. To offer suggested solutions on how to manage crisis in Ukanafun Local Government Area.

1.4       Research Questions

The researcher has mapped out vital research questions which need to be answered as follows:

1. Does intolerance among villages and political tussle causes crisis?
2. Do land disputes cause crisis in Ukanafun?

• Does Public Relations strategies play a significant role in crisis management?

1. Do crisis in Ukanafun discourage foreign investment and development?

1.5       Scope of the Study

The scope of this study covers Ukanafun Local Government Area and specifically discuss causes of crisis and the activities of Public Relations in crisis management.

1.6       Significance of the study

This work will benefit many co-operate organizations and government officials in crisis management. Also it will serves as a referent work for other researchers who will be interested in the topic of this research. It will also be of beneficial to communities and Public Relations experts as more knowledge.

1.7       Limitations of the study

This researcher faced some obstacles in the course of gathering data, among the barriers were the unwillingness of some respondents, and government officials to provide information was another problem.

Again, the financial constraints made it difficult for the researcher to reach a wider public at the time frame too short.