In scientific studies of crises and disaster management, emphases are placed on humanitarian aspect of handling of human agonies, which include displacement of population or refugee issue and provision of palliative measures. Similarly it is also vital to distinguish between natural disasters and man-made ones, all of which come under crises and disaster management. It is necessary to say that this is a specialised field of management studies, of which involvement of non-specialists in such activity can mess up emergency situations and possibly create more problems.
Another critical aspect of disaster management is the issue of security of lives and property, which includes ensuring that ill-disposed persons do not take advantage of situations of disaster to engage in acts of criminality, of which looting of property is a common practice. It is necessary to say that management of crises and disaster situations is the vital litmus test for picking out men of integrity, compassion and character, from those who have them not, but merely pretend to be so. A test of integrity is when a hotel worker sees a huge sum of money forgotten in a hotel room by a guest, and takes it to its owner, rather than take it!
What is known as conscientisation is the quality whereby an individual allows himself and actions to be guided by an inner impulse which opts for what is right and noble during critical moments. Similarly, there is an ethnical theory of universalistic hedonism which stipulates that providing the greatest good for the greatest number, is the test or measure of an ideal value. Thus, providing palliative measures for 10 per cent of the affluent class, while 90 per cent of the masses go hungry fails the test of conscientisation.
Palliative measures include providing moral excuses, extenuating factors, soft landing, mitigating balms, alleviating succor, offering relief and help to people in critical situations and moments of distress and agonies. Even though such relief measures may be temporary, the test of genuineness and effectiveness includes the humane gesture involved and a follow-up policy to avert the situations that gave rise to the disaster, in future. To provide palliative measures with trumpet sound and television camera coverage, is more of a publicity stunt and self-glorification, than a humane-gesture-driven relief given to reduce distress and agonies, i.e. psychological relief.
When an aircraft whose passengers were largely top military personnel, including Late Professor Claude Ake, crashed in a swamp many years ago, in a private service of songs held for some of the victims, there was a hint that disasters can be man-made. While tears may flow for victims of disasters, it is possible that one man’s disaster may be another man’s fortune. Similarly, that some people profit from the sufferings of their fellow creatures, has been a common feature of human history; i.e. narcissism and sadism.
A primary cause of the current pains and agonies of over 90 per cent of Nigerians arises from petroleum product, vis-à-vis the shenanigans connected with fuel refining, importation and consumption. That Nigeria is a petroleum producing country notwithstanding, over 90 per cent of Nigerians live in pains and agonies arising from such local product. Thus the politics, economics and the shenanigans connected with petroleum products cannot be described as natural-rooted disaster causing present pains and agonies, but man-made disaster. It is also a disaster in which a few smile, while many gnash their teeth.
Therefore, the palliative mantra arising from self-induced disaster, having to do with removal of subsidy from petroleum product, provides opportunities for Nigerians to test the integrity and character of their leaders. We have been told that it was expedient to remove subsidy on fuel to put a stop to a situation where a cabal, a few powerful people or cartel would grow rich at the expense of the masses. We are also aware that political office holders and other powerful Nigerians have as many as a dozen security personnel attached to each of them, and as many as a dozen vehicles at the service of each of them. This may be a tip of the ice berg. Oligarchy involved!
Nigerians are also aware that very many fleet of vehicles owned and assigned to the high and mighty are fuelled daily at tax-payers’ expense, even when such persons enjoy fabulous travelling allowances and other perquisites that the poor masses will be angry if the truth be revealed. Nigerian masses have borne with calm resignation when the sum of N5.04 billion was spent to buy 400 exotic cars for political office holders while COVID-19 pandemic was raging in 2021.
Similarly, Senator Shehu Sani told Nigerians that “every senator gets N13.5 million monthly, as running cost, about N200 million as constituency, while the salary is about N750,000…” Neither have Nigerians been told total official salary and allowances of their President. Did Orji Uzor Kalu not tell Nigerians that governors have everything free for themselves, including food, drinks, fuel, medical treatment, electricity and water that must come from the mountain top in Switzerland. Thus governance and political offices have been characterized by lavish spending, in the midst of mass poverty and hunger.
Where palliative measures as interventionist alleviation are successful and effective, the process is usually characterised by fast and reliable succour focused on the most vulnerable victims of a disaster situation. But when such palliative measures are contracted out to political lords and agents as a means of pay back for political support, then the goal would be defeated. We observed the “feeding of hungry school children” gulping hundreds of millions of naira daily, shrouded in secrecy that no one claimed to have seen or known any child fed from such succour!
To provide several buses free for commuters as palliative measure would certainly run into unplanned hitches and abuses. Anyone who understands the attitude of Nigerians towards their government, would know that such free largesse would be abused, with spite added. Rather, a situation where salaries of public servants are paid every two weeks, rather than monthly, would give better relief and smiles, than provision of free bus service which may not be available when needed most. A serious research study showed that over 68 per cent of public servants borrow money before the end of the 30-day cycle of salary payment. Suffering and smiling!
Politicians would do better to use patriotic experts to advise them on matters relating to emergency and disaster situations. Political advisers are usually wheeler-dealers who would want to gain some advantage out of the pains and agonies of the masses. While one would not want to share the fate of Late O. Mailafia, there is more to the issue of banditry in Nigeria than meets the eye. But let a sleeping dog lie!

By: Bright Amirize
Dr Amirize is a retired lecturer from the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.