COMMUNICATING THE MESSAGE OF SANITATION

Akintola Benson-Oke writes that a hygienic environment helps to stay fit

Achieving and maintaining a cleaner Lagos is one of the priorities of the present administration. Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has demonstrated, by words and actions, that he is committed to bringing this to reality. Lagos once had a reputation for being a very dirty and disorganised city. However, tailored and sustained efforts in this direction since 1999 had ensured that Lagos is no longer in the class of extremely dirty cities. However, there is still work to be done. In an article titled, Lagos Must be Clean, a policy analyst wrote that, “One striking feature of a capital city in any developed country is its cleanliness. There are no heaps of refuse. No abandoned broken down vehicles. No bloated dead bodies on the road. No suicidal beggars competing with moving vehicles and threatening to harm motorists who fail to give out alms. Unfortunately, this cannot be said of Lagos, which used to be the Nigerian capital, and a major entry port for visitors coming into the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Other international capitals like London, Washington, Oslo, Dublin, Paris, etc., are beauties to behold because of their sparkling clean environments, which lead one to the question of how these capital cities manage to attain their cleanliness. The answer is simply that governments in those cities and countries pay painstaking attention to personal hygiene and have developed very effective waste disposal systems, right from individual households to the larger public space. While the efforts of the past and present administrations in the state to keep Lagos clean, in accordance with internal best practices in waste disposal, should not be lost on us, much still needs to be done to attain the level of cleanliness obtainable in other developed capitals across the world. There is no gainsaying the fact that the Ambode administration in Lagos State has made giant strides in achieving the Lagos of our dreams, not only in terms of a commercial hub that offers prosperity to everyone but also a cleaner megacity becoming more environmentally hygienic.”

We understand that it is one thing to have a plan or policy in place but it is totally a different matter all together to have a strategy for communicating the import, nature, benefits, changes and opportunities inherent in the policy.

The importance of communication in public administration cannot be over-emphasised. The University of Southern California made this observation in a publication: “Public administrators can be considered the link between the public and policymakers. To operate effectively, public administrators should consider the public’s desires and concerns. Good communication skills can help public administrators engage with members of the public in debates and discussions, and the issues raised during these exchanges can then be discussed with policymakers. While the policymakers may not always act exactly as the public would like, the public can feel satisfied that policy decisions occur when information flows freely….”

The publication further noted at least three areas that emphasise the importance of communication in public administration: one, communication helps persuade decisionmakers to enact change. In other words, good communication takes the concepts developed by a public administrator and turns them into a reality. Good communication can be persuasive and powerful, not only imparting knowledge, but also turning the listener around to the speaker’s way of thinking.Two, communication helps disseminate information. Through the use of emergency management operations, government officials at all levels are responsible for keeping citizens safe and secure. As part of these operations, public administrators working in the government sector must communicate with members of the public to ensure citizens know about imminent dangers and the recommended courses of action. For example, public administrators might use social media accounts, notify news outlets, and organise press conferences to inform citizens when they need to evacuate during an emergency or how to minimise the risk of contracting a serious illness during a public health crisis. Three, communication skills help public administrators work effectively with the media. Public administrators do not use the media only during times of crisis. Media outlets including newspapers, television and radio programmes, and Online media can be crucial for keeping the public informed about the issues that matter to them. Public administrators may act as media liaisons and spokespeople, ensuring that messages are transmitted during times of policy change and social upheaval, for example. Good communication skills are crucial when dealing with the media to ensure the message is accurate, informative, and presented in the way the entity that the public administrator represents intends.

It may be helpful to call to mind why a cleaner city is very important. Indeed, while no one can possibly be in doubt as to the need for a clean environment, it helps to briefly discuss the most important of the benefits. The first and primary reason is for the better health of the residents and tourists. Hygienic environment helps us to stay fit and augurs for a longer, healthier life. The fact we all know is that mosquitoes, insects and flies carry a lot of germs and bacteria in them. They are the main transmitters of diseases like chicken pox, malaria and jaundice. We do know that these mosquitoes and pests are frequently attracted towards heaps of garbage and wastes.

Also, a cleaner city is always a sure bet that it would attract more and more tourists from around the world. Historical buildings, iconic sites along with cleanliness constitute the perfect combination to attract tourists and make for people to enjoy their holidays in the city. But garbage lying here and there would be a turn off for tourists as it would disappoint them.

Avoidance of degradation is another benefit of a clean city. Plastic wastes and carry bags are the factors that degrade the quality of our environment. Nowadays, we find that plastic wastes enter into the stomach of animals along with other edibles, thus affecting their health which in turn affects the animal kingdom in a severe manner. We are also very well aware of the fact that many plastic wastes are non degradable, thus affect the environment. They lead to the degradation of the soil.

Another benefit of keeping our cities clean is that it helps in maintaining a respectable ranking when cities are ranked. The ranking of cities is helpful in terms of employment and development opportunities. Multinational companies are attracted to set up their offices in the cities with good rankings.

I am hopeful, that we will also understand and appreciate the strategy for communicating hard facts on environmental pollution such as those compiled by the “Do Something Project” as follows: pollution is one of the biggest global killers, affecting over 100 million people. That’s comparable to global diseases like malaria and HIV. In 1975, the National Academy of Sciences estimated that ocean-based sources, such as cargo ships and cruise liners had dumped 14 billion pounds of garbage into the ocean. Over one million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year. People who live in places with high levels of air pollutants have a 20% higher risk of death from lung cancer than people who live in less-polluted areas.

Excerpts from a speech by the Lagos State Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke