Public Relations and the Management of Ugambe and Mbaiase Communal Crisis by the Government of Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study seeks to determine the public relations strategies which the Benue State Government adopted in managing the crisis between Ugambe and Mbaiase communities. The study was anchored on the conflict theory with data collected through the instrument of structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered on 400 respondents involving sampled officials of the Benue State Boundary Commission, NIPR members of the Benue State Chapter and people from both Ugambe and Mbaiase communities. Findings revealed, different application of public relations strategies involving community/civil peace meetings, community/stakeholder mediation between the warring communities, setting committee of inquiry to unravel the causes of the crisis and others by the government. The study also found that the public relations strategies by the government have not succeeded in effectively managing the crisis between Ugambe and Mbaiasecommunities in Gwer-West and Konshisha local government areas of Benue State. The study still discovered that even though there were many challenges against effective use of public relations in managing the crisis, the major one was inadequate budget allocation for public relations activities. The study therefore concludes that the use of public relations in managing the prolonged communal crisis between Ugambe and Mbaiase by the Benue State government has not been successful as the crisis keeps on reoccurring. The study recommends, among others, that government should increase budgetary allocation for public relations use in managing crises in the state.