Use of Social Media in Mobilising Support for Abductees in Nigeria: A Study of Epe School Kidnap (Published)
This work examines social media usage to support abductees in Nigeria, beaming its searchlight on the case of the 6 Epe school boys, who were kidnapped at The Lagos State Model College on May 24, 2017. This study seeks to know various ways the social media contribute to the freedom of abductees in Nigeria and how potent the social media could be in mobilising support for them. The survey method was adopted, and questionnaire was used to collect data. For this study, 528 questionnaires were given to respondents in the 66 streets on Eredo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), in Epe Local Government of Lagos State. 521 of the questionnaire were returned. Eredo has a population of 18,590, and 3% of the population was used. Purposive sampling method was chosen for this study. This is adopted in order to select the members of the population that are fit to give the correct answers to the research questions. The findings of this study reveal that the contributions of Nigerians and social media outcry made the government and its agencies to take speedy action on the abduction of the Epe school boys. This study finds out that the social media has the power to reach a large number of Nigerians faster than other media of communication. This study therefore recommends that the Civil Society organisations in Nigeria and Human Right Groups should explore the advantages of the social media to reach the people and the government alike. The study also recommends that Nigerians still need orientations on how to maximize the power of the social media.
Keywords: Mobilizing, Nigeria, Social media, Usage, abductees
Violent Conflicts and Challenges of Peace Building in Contemporary Nigeria (Published)
The period we are in Nigeria is a unique time in history as a nation. The country has in recent times, witnessed an unprecedented magnitude of violence that has shaken the unity of Nigeria. The study therefore examined the challenges to peace building in Nigeria. . The study had adopted descriptive perspective in its analysis of the secondary data obtained for the study. The data obtained indicated that violent conflict from the ramous region and tribes of Nigeria is rooted in the conflict diversity of the citizens and bad governance structure. The study concluded that gives the present political and economic structure, the prospects of achieving peace are less probable, unless, the government of Nigeria would generate political will to address huge human capital development afflict, invest In infrastructure, and re-engineer political consensus on socio-economic and political development in the country.
Keywords: Challenges, Nigeria, Peace – Building, Violent, conflicts.
Communications Feedback Mechanism: A Public Sphere Perspective of a State House of Assembly (Published)
Given its attendant implication to democracy, governments and their agencies are coming to terms with the need for increased citizen’s participation in governance. Yet this quest is impaired because government institutions and their publics under-utilize feedback mechanism. It is in the light of this notion that this study examined communications feedback mechanism and how its publics leverage on this feedback mechanism to foster public sphere discourse in a single state’s House of Assembly in Southern Nigeria. The study adopted the survey research method and its sample size was 400. Data were gathered using a questionnaire and analyzed with percentages and frequency distribution tables. Findings are among others revealed that respondents are not aware of any feedback mechanism and that constituents’ level of participation in public sphere discourses remains low. Against this backdrop, this study recommends that the House enact a legislation that will make it mandatory for the public to participate in all phases of law making, while submitting that public hearing be democratized to accommodate more constituents. Also recommended is that the House should synergize with Non-Governmental Organizations cultural/traditional and religious organizations to engage constituents in regular town hall meetings on issues that concern them. Conclusion and recommendations are reached.
Keywords: Communication Feedback Mechanism, Legislative Public Relations, Marketing Political Services, Nigeria, Public Sphere Discourse
Communication Audit of Cable News Network (Cnn) Online Reports on Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria (2012-2016) (Published)
Previous studies on conflict reportage in Nigeria had accused Western media of inclinations for feeding the people with inaccurate and contradictory reports. This study was predicated on the need to investigate the patterns and trends of the Cable News Network (CNN’s) online reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria over a period of five years, 2012-2016. The study adopted the content analysis method of research and conducted a census of 58 online reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria as obtained from Cable News Network website (http://edition.cnn.com/text=boko+haram). While direction of reports, sources of report, prominence, balance and report genre provided content categories for the study, the Cronbach Alpha test was adopted for inter-coder reliability. The study found high prominence on CNN’s online reports of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. There was high level imbalance in CNN’s online reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The study found low level of objectivity in CNN’s online reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. It was also established that CNN made use of only one source of information in her reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. The study found out that the straight news genre dominated CNN’s online reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Finally, the study showed that CNN’s online reports on Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria did conform to the allegation of information distortion leveled against Western Media. The researchers then recommended diversification of information sources, combination of report genres and fortification of conflict reporters as measures that would enhance accuracy, objectivity and fairness in conflict reportage.
Keywords: Audit, Boko Haram, Cable News Network, Insurgency, Nigeria, Online Reports, communication
Exploring the Extent of Press Freedom in Nigeria (Published)
Press freedom has become one of the major challenges of Journalism practice in the world. This paper explores the factors militating against press freedom in Nigeria using some relevant examples. The researcher used the qualitative method of research using secondary data comprising of books, journals and other scholars opinion for the discuss and analysis. The study is embedded on two theories out of the normative theories i.e the authoritarian and social responsibility theory. The study reveals that there are a lot of factors in Nigeria that impedes or militates against press freedom ranging from secrecy, legal pressure, direct censorship and force among others. Findings also reveal that Nigerian press freedom is a paradox and only exist on paper i.e. on constitution but not in practice. The research recommends that since press freedom is granted in the constitution of Nigeria, there should be statutory backup and in order not to hinder press freedom, journalist should be allowed to have access to government sources and records so long as it will not bring chaos to the society at large.
Keywords: Journalism, Journalist, Militates, Nigeria, press freedom
Investigating the Influence of Social Media on Sociability: A Study of University Students in Nigeria (Published)
This article investigates the influence of social media on the university students’ sociability in Nigeria. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from 250 students at BIU and 350 students at DELSU through heterogeneous samples in different faculties and departments of respective institution. The data derived were subjected to descriptive statistics with simple percentage, chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. Findings revealed that age, year of study, family income plays decisive role in respondents’ ability to exploit the benefit of social media utilization for sociability. Further, majority of the respondents were observed to use Facebook as major platform for friendship sociability, with mobile media (feature phone with internet connection and smartphone) as a medium of constructive sociability behaviour and respondents’ friendship size of above 200 demonstrate the strength of respondents’ sociability practice. The study also found that the respondents’ frequency of interaction with friendship groups cut across different time frame with communication relations and socio-pleasure as a means of strategic sociability fulfilment. Future research should focus on why university students use social media for romantic sociability since evidences are emerging on the relations of social media sociability and romantic behaviour of young people.
Keywords: Abraka (DELSU), Benin City (BIU) and Delta State University, Benson Idahosa University, Nigeria, Social media, sociability
Substantiating Public Relations Contributions to Organizational Success in Nigeria’s Banking Sector (Published)
This paper attempts to substantiate the contributions of public relations in Nigeria’s banking sector. This is against the backdrop of a seeming neglect for the profession. In gathering data for the work, the survey method was complemented with in-depth interviews. The study found that banks generate a public relations philosophy, that public relations makes important contribution to the success of the banking sector and also that a good reputation positively affects an organization’s (including banks) positive performance. It is therefore recommended among others that banks in Nigeria should elevate the status of their PR departments and better appreciate them while the PR executives should have a multi-disciplinary training that makes them competent in business administration and others.
Keywords: Banking, Nigeria, Organizational Success, Public Relations