28/07/2022
REDEFINING OUR MORAL SENSIBILITIES FOR EFFECTIVE CITIZENS ENGAGEMENT
"Adjust your attitude and change your life" Keith Harrel
Dorothy Thompson, PhD
There is no denying the fact that the duty of developing a society cannot be left in the hands of the government alone. There is a place for citizens which has been declared by the United Nations as Citizens engagement. Citizens engagement is about empowering people to take control of their own lives, to continue to find solutions to challenges around them, and to provide feedback on the quality of services received. It is about giving voice to people so that they are not left out of the development process.
For citizens engagement to be effective and impactful, the need for a redefinition of moral sensibilities cannot be over-emphasized.
Moral sensibility simply means the ability to identify existing moral problems and understand the moral consequences of the decisions we make either to act or not to act. In other words, moral sensibility involves the dynamic interaction among the entirety of things making up who we are morally be it our abilities, values, self-understandings, perceptual propensities, self-awareness, skill at embodying actions. All these help in the taking of decisions and influence our engagement as citizens in the political, social, economic, social, and other spheres of life.
In Akwa Ibom State, Ethical and Attitudinal Re-orientation Commission, EARCOM, has been on the vanguard of ensuring that citizens are sensitized on their moral obligations to society and what their roles should be in the development of the state. EARCOM has also taken it upon herself to redefine moral sensibilities of the people. The idea is to remind them of their civic duties, what they ought to be doing as against what they currently do and the attendant consequences.
The need to redirect citizens to moral sensibilities, adherence to rules and regulations and attitudinal reorientation gave birth to EARCOM with the mandate to re-create people with well-articulated and practical ethical values that sustain the socio-economic and political base of the State. The aim is to re-engineer the entire citizenry for greater responsibility and better society, restore ethical and moral sensibilities, propagate need to eschew all vices in public life including corruption, electoral and all forms of malpractices, mobilize people for positive participation in nation building, ensure and uphold leadership by example, restore and sustain discipline in public and private life as well as propagate and promote the spirit of labour, honesty and commitment.
Let me state that in the face of impossible odds, people who love society are making change to happen by their engagements within the civil space. The government works best when citizens are engaged in policy making and public service delivery.
Under my watch as Chairman, EARCOM has been at the forefront in the fight against cultism, r**e, child theft and abuse and other social vices such as lateness and absenteeism to school, prostitution, homos*xuality, exam malpractices and peer pressure amongst others. EARCOM has also been involved in reigniting the political consciousness of the people.
Today, issues of indiscriminate dumping of refuse, the begging culture, drug abuse cultism and r**e are becoming recurring decimals. Also, as we approach the elections, it has become imperative for citizens to exercise their civic responsibilities by not just registering for their PVCs but going out to vote and ensuring that their votes count. Let us look at these issues one after the other.
INDISCRIMINATE DUMPING OF REFUSE
EARCOM has noticed with great dismay the level of impunity on the part of citizens who indiscriminately dump refuse without recourse to the relevant laws guiding refuse dumps.
Recently, there has been public outcry on heaps of uncleared refuse. This has become worrisome as they may lead to the outbreak of an epidemic and pollution of the environment. A few weeks ago, I was driving along a particular street in Uyo. I saw a citizen dumping refuse inside a drainage channel. I asked my driver to stop and I queried to know why he did that. He had no reason whatsoever. I took time to educate him on the AKSEPWMA law and the implications of what he did. He was remorseful; bent down into the gutter, picked up the trash and properly disposed of it. For the benefit of those who do not know what the law says about indiscriminate dumping of refuse, I will advise that they read sections 28-38 of the AKSEPWMA Act. Specifically, section 29 of the Law reads, “No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged human wastes into any public drain, water course, gorge storm water, drainage ….” Sections 40 stipulate penalties for those who break the law. Sub section 2 states that anyone who contravenes relevant sections of the Waste Management Agency law of indiscriminate dumping of refuse is guilty and is liable for a maximum term of 5 years imprisonment. By this, citizens are urged to ensure they dispose of their wastes appropriately at the designated centres. It is also important for the Waste Management Agencies to ensure prompt evacuation of dumpsites. Akwa Ibom State has been severally adjudged the cleanest state in the country and should not be defaced by the preponderance of wastes.
BEGGING CULTURE
Another very disturbing vice that worries EARCOM is the begging cult. Before now, street beggars from neighbouring states flooded the streets of Uyo. Attempts were somehow successful in curbing the tide, but recently, there seems to be a surge and my findings show that more people are now engaged in the business. More worrisome is the fact that those who beg are able bodied and corporate citizend who ought to find something meaningful to do. There are instances where those who ought to be in the hospitals, nursing mothers with newborn babies, those with one form of disability or the other inclusive of able-bodied men are on the streets begging. The other day I stopped by Ewet Housing Estate to get some groceries; I was approached by a woman in her mid-30s with three little kids asking for alms. I was moved to pity to help but the inquisitive part of me engaged her in a discussion. At the end of our conversation, I got to know that she was very okay and that the Father of the kids is alive. I provided some funding for her with a stern warning that she should start a small business with the money I provided and quit putting the lives of the kids at risk through begging.
Factors such as poverty, disabilities, mental illness and drugs, bad state of Nigerian economy, migration, declining interest in school, gender preference, cultural and religion have been adduced as reasons for begging. It must however be noted that EARCOM has identified the consequences of the begging culture to include child labour, exploitation and trafficking, s*xual abuse, prostitution, kidnapping, crime and illegal drugs trade, accidents risks, police harassment, theft and arm robbery, and so on. It is important for policy planners and relevant agencies to adopt multi-faceted, multi-targeted, and multi-tiered approaches if they are to have any impact on the lives of beggars be it street or corporate beggars. There should be improvement in the provision of rehabilitation centers, relief materials in addition to both preventative and responsive interventions.
DRUG ABUSE, R**E AND CULTISM
These three vices have become hydra-headed and monstrous in nature. I must commend the efforts put in place by the First Lady of Akwa Ibom Ibom State Her Excellency, Dr. Martha Udom Emmanuel, to stem the negative tide of r**e and drug abuse. Through her pet project FEYREP, she has constantly provided succour to victims and has always ensured prosecution and jail terms for r**e culprits. EARCOM is doing all within its powers to sensitise the citizenry on the relevant laws against r**e and cultism and the attendant consequences. The VAPP Act, law on free and compulsory medical treatment as well as care for child victims of s*xual abuse in Akwa Ibom State and the Law to Eliminate Violence in Private and Public Life, prohibit all forms of Violence Against Persons and to Provide Maximum Protection and Effective Remedies for Victims and Punishment of Offenders and for Related Matters are legal measures already put in place to reduce the incidences of r**e, drug abuse and cultism. More effort needs to be done especially in the area of sensitization of the rural dwellers against the consequences of these vices, punishment for offenders and the need to strengthen implementation of the relevant laws. To support what FEYREP is doing, EARCOM is planning massive ensitization drive across the state both in rural and urban communities concerning these vices and their consequences. EARCOM frowns at r**e, cultism in schools, drug abuse, domestic violence of any kind and will do all within the law to ensure these vices are reduced to the barest minimum.
VOTER EDUCATION
One of the very basic civic responsibilities of citizens is to get involved in the political process of electing leaders and holding them accountable. By this, citizens are supposed to "have the choice to speak their voice"This means that they must register to obtain their Permanent Voter Card and vote for candidates of their choice during the elections. For months now, the Independent National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, INEC, has been encouraging citizens to register and get their PVCs. EARCOM encourages Akwa Ibom people who are 18 years and above, yet to get their PVCs to take advantage of the period and do so. Through EARCOM, the message of PVCs is taken to churches, schools, markets and other public spaces. For more information about registration and collection of PVCs transfer of Polling Units, Akwa Ibom people should visit https://cvr.inecnigeria.org or go to a nearby INEC office within their location. Citizens have up to July 31, 2022 to do so or will have to wait until after the 2023 general elections.
As Nigerians await the commencement of campaigns, EARCOM stresses the need for peaceful and level playing ground for all political parties and actors. There is need for everyone to play the game according to rules and regulations Also, INEC should ensure that the provisions of the Electoral Act Amendment are adhered to strictly. Political actors and stakeholders should shun tendencies capable of derailing the nation’s democratic process. Vices such as thuggery, violence, ballot box snatching, stuffing, vote buying and other forms of electoral malpractices are done away with while culprits should be made to face the full weight of the law. As an Orientation Agency, we have carried out advocacy drives and sensitization for citizens and we have translated some of our messages in vernacular for ease of comprehension. We hope that the 2023 election will not only be free and fair, but will also be peaceful and credible leading to the election of acceptable leaders.
On the whole, EARCOM is exploring best practices to enhancing citizen moral sensibilities for a robust engagement and the role they can play in actively shaping public policy, getting involved in the political process of choosing leaders and service delivery. In an increasingly global space , citizens engagement is critical in improving development outcomes. Simply put, to tackle many of the social, economic and environmental challenges faced around the globe, the need to take into account the knowledge, experiences, views and values of the people most directly facing these challenges, must be ensured and future-prooven.
Dorothy Thompson PhD, is the Executive Chairman, Ethical and Attitudinal Re-orientation Commission, EARCOM, Akwa Ibom State.
