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Political Crisis and Urban Governance in Rivers State, 2015-2023

Hilley, Blessing Joe, Emmanuel Chinedu MacAlex-Achinulo, Ph.D

Abstract

The study investigated political crisis and Urban Governance in Rivers State between 2015 and 2023. The objectives were to; identify the causes of political crisis in Rivers State, analyze the effect of political crisis on urban infrastructure and project continuity in Rivers State, investigate the influence of political crisis on insecurity in urban areas in Rivers State, and identify measures to address political crisis so as to enhance urban governance in Rivers State. The study adopted the Elite Theory propounded by Robert Michel, Gactano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto in 1915 and 1939 respectively. The study equally adopted the descriptive survey and documentary research designs; data were sourced from both primary and secondary sources. Questionnaire and interview sources were applied for the study. A total number of 399 copies of questionnaire were distributed across selected communities in Port Harcourt Metropolis, while 16 key informant interviewees were selected from education and health sectors. The study found/revealed that political crisis in Rivers State between 2015 and 2023 were caused by several factors such as interparty rivalry, struggle for political power by political elites and access to state resources, among others. Therefore, the study recommended that Rivers State government should establish an independent body for political dialogue and mediation to resolve disputes among political gladiators in Rivers State; Rivers State government should establish institutional mechanisms to protect ongoing programmes from political interference and should support law enforcement agencies in urban areas to enable them discharge their duties effectively. Key Words: Political Crisis, Governance, Urban Area, Urban Governance, and Crisis.

Keywords

Political CrisisGovernanceUrban AreaUrban Governanceand Crisis.

References

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