Communal Participation and Good Governance in Nigeria (Published)
Communal participation has been a collective and progressive impetus for societal development since medieval era while popular representation is one of the indispensable pillars of good governance in modern times. The study examined the impact of communal participation on good governance in Bomadi and Patani local government areas of Delta State, Nigeria. The study investigated the practise of communal participation in the communities and wards, the extent of participation in local government affairs and the leadership style that encourages participation or representation of community members in the local government councils. Data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. Samples of 200 respondents were interviewed through the administration of questionnaire designed according to 5-point Likert scale of strongly agreed (SA) to strongly disagree (SDA). Demographic data were collected and analysed by tables of frequency and percentage. The measures of central tendency such as the mean and standard deviation were employed to analyse the three objectives adopting mean of 2.50 as agree (A) or acceptable criterion at (0.05) level of significance. Findings revealed that there was appreciable level of communal participation and representation in the two local government areas. The study recommended that, a more pragmatic involvement of community leaders in decision making, projects initiation, planning and execution be adequately demonstrated. This should be carried out through regular town hall meetings with community leaders and mass media sensitization to enhance good governance at the grassroots level.
Keywords: Development, Good Governance, Leadership, Participation, communal
Role of Media and ICT in Empowering Kenyan Rural Communities with Information on Development (Published)
Information is the key to democracy. Information technology measures social integration, participation and performance valuables in any development. Emerging digital techniques, new network alternatives including intelligent networks, high bandwidth communication technology and state-of-the-art software for network functions and services, are the new technology trends evident in the development of electronic communication systems. Yet most of world’s population remains untouched by this revolution. The paper discusses the need to focus on Kenyan rural communities to empower them to access information, knowledge and poverty alleviation among them by deploying the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Analyses the factors preventing rural communities from reaping the benefits of ICT s, Kenyan initiatives to overcome the factors, ways and means of poverty alleviation and sustainable development; identifies the bottlenecks and solutions, and lessons learned. The paper will analyze the integration of media and technology in pushing development agenda. Perhaps the inclination of ICT and media as an information resource will bring enormous and diversification in developmental models.
Keywords: Development, ICT, Kenya, Media, Rural
Communication, Youths, and Agricultural Development: The Niger Delta Question (Published)
This paper examined the place of communication in mobilizing Niger Delta Youths for agricultural investments. The researchers adopted qualitative approach in conducting the study. This approach also entails that, the study usually depends on secondary data. Four objectives were formulated to guide and give focus to the topic. The study examined types of communication; intrapersonal communication, interpersonal communication, and mass communication. This study shows that Niger Delta has an active work force of about 16,134,968 people, and concluded that any development communicator saddled with the responsibility to disseminate agricultural investment information to Niger Delta youths should be well-informed not only on the subject matter but also about the target social system and about the possible solution to the social problem identified. The study is anchored on development media theory.
Keywords: Agriculture, Development, Youths, communication