Public Administration Effectiveness and the Management of Socio Political Crises in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria: Implications for Sustainable Governance and Development

Abstract

This study examined public administration effectiveness and the management of socio-political crises in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, with a view to determining their implications for sustainable governance and development. Specifically, the study investigated the effects of administrative responsiveness, institutional capacity, accountability mechanisms, and citizen participation on socio-political crisis management and further assessed the influence of effective crisis management on sustainable governance and development. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The population comprised public servants, community leaders, youth leaders, and civil society actors in Akwa Ibom State. A sample size of 400 respondents was selected through a multistage sampling technique, while 380 valid questionnaires were returned and utilized for analysis. Data were collected using a structured five point Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation, and Multiple Regression Analysis at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed significant positive relationships among all study variables. The regression results showed that administrative responsiveness (β = 0.241, p < .05), institutional capacity (β = 0.314, p < .05), accountability mechanisms (β = 0.196, p < .05), and citizen participation (β = 0.287, p < .05) significantly influenced socio-political crisis management, jointly explaining 70.9% of its variance (R² = 0.709). Institutional capacity emerged as the strongest predictor of effective crisis management. The study further found that socio-political crisis management significantly influenced sustainable governance and development (β = 0.781, p < .05), accounting for 61.0% of the variance in sustainable governance and development (R² = 0.610). The study concludes that effective public administration plays a crucial role in managing socio-political crises and promoting sustainable governance and development in Akwa Ibom State. It recommends strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing administrative responsiveness, improving accountability mechanisms, and expanding citizen participation as strategic measures for achieving political stability and sustainable development.