THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ABSTRACT
The goal of this research project is to critically examine the role of communication in the development of various communities in Lagos state. Because the researcher cannot examine all of the communities in Lagos State, he has chosen Ibeshe Community in Ikorodu environs as a case study.
According to some findings, communication and access to various vital information by Local Communities can lead to their development. The term “community development” is a broad one, with no agreed-upon definition. This could be attributed to the fact that it covers all aspects of human and community life.
Various developed countries around the world have linked their development to having access to the right information at the right time. As a result, it has been stated that communication can help to boost and foster community development.
Furthermore, the media is regarded as a communication agent.
According to the United Nations, the primary goal of the media is to provide developmental information at the appropriate time.
This study is divided into five chapters:
The first chapter provided an overview of the research. It includes a description of the problems, the purpose of the study, and the significance of the study. There were four research questions and two hypotheses developed. The study’s scope and limitations were also stated.
The relevant literature was reviewed in Chapter Two. This includes textbooks, journals, articles, and internet write-ups.
The third chapter is primarily concerned with the research methodology. A questionnaire was used to collect the data needed for this study.
The data gathered through the questionnaire were analyzed in Chapter Four. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: one for bio data and the other for research questions and hypotheses.
Finally, the summary, recommendations, and conclusion were presented in Chapter 5. This includes details on the critical role of communication in community development.
THE FIRST CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND
Globally, the issue of community development has taken a new turn. Residents of various communities are expected to mobilize and direct their resources toward community development.
Community development is a skilled process, and one aspect of its approach is the belief that communities cannot be helped unless they agree to the process, which is known as community mobilization. This is a process in which community action, either internally or externally promoted, is planned, undertaken, and assessed on a participatory and consistent basis by individuals, groups, and organizations in the community to improve health, hygiene, and education levels, as well as overall living conditions. Nyerere, Julius (1973).
According to Ukaegbu et al. (1993), community development projects are viewed in terms of their expected contributions to the betterment of a target population’s life. People must be involved in community development activities at all stages of implementation.
Community development has been an explicit and sometimes implicit goal of community people throughout history, aiming to achieve a better life through collective effort. Egenti, Maureen Ngozichukwuka (2005).
The Ashridge Conference in England in 1954 defined community development as a movement aimed at promoting better living conditions for the entire community through active participation and initiative on the part of the community.
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), an organ of the UN, defined community development in 1956 as the processes by which the efforts of the people themselves are combined with those of governmental authorities, its agencies, and non-governmental organizations to improve the economic, social, and cultural conditions of communities, integrate these communities into the life of the nation, and enable them to contribute fully to national progress.
Community development aims to empower individuals and groups of people by equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to effect change in their communities. Mr. Ashok Kumar (1980).
According to the Committee for Development in the United Kingdom (2005), community development is a structured intervention that gives communities greater control over the conditions that affect their lives.
Several academics have argued that community development is the lifeblood of every nation. Its significance is so great that every country in the world, developing or developed, is implementing a series of developmental programs to promote national development.
Community Development Programs is a socioeconomic program that aims to develop and rebuild rural society. Its goal is to involve people in development programs and help them become self-sufficient and cooperative. It also aims to encourage them to pursue new avenues for rural development. It is a strategy that results in an increase in the standard of living. Its significance cannot be overstated.
The following are some areas where community development programs have been beneficial:
Agriculture expansion: Agriculture occupies and plays an important role in any country’s economy. Agriculture development is inextricably linked to community development. Agricultural extension programs are promoted through community development activities in order to increase food production.
Health Services: Another benefit of community development programs is the establishment of public health facilities. Infant mortality and epidemics have been reduced as a result of medical orientation.
People’s Motivation for Nation Building: Community development programs play an important role in mobilizing and directing people toward development. It contributes to instilling in the people of the community a spirit of community living and oneness, which in turn promotes development.
Community development, on the other hand, can take many forms. Community development is a process that is in charge of bringing about social changes. Community development is not only a process that brings about social changes, but it is also a method of achieving them that relies on people’s cooperation.
Furthermore, community development is viewed as a program that serves as the foundation for the implementation of a change process. It should be noted that without a proper program, neither the method nor the process will be useful. Finally, community development is viewed as a movement aimed at eradicating illiteracy, unemployment, and poverty.
Some factors that improve community development must be considered when developing community development strategies, including the following: first and foremost, the community development project or program should be holistic in nature.
A comprehensive need assessment should be carried out using the participatory research method. This will ensure that residents of the community participate actively in the community development project. Second, in terms of the project’s impact on the community, there should be a long-term vision for the community.
It should be noted that just as some factors promote community development, others work against it. There are numerous impediments that may obstruct the ideal community development process. The first factor may be awareness of the impediment.
Given the holistic nature of an ideal community development project, a lack of collaboration or a shared vision among community members may stymie the process. Furthermore, a lack of access to information or a lack of access to community meetings may impede the community development process. The entire community’s inhabitants must be properly involved and have access to information that will foster their development; otherwise, the community development effort will be in vain.
Communication, on the other hand, is regarded as an essential component of community development. Many countries around the world have linked their development to a reliable communication network.
Furthermore, communication is said to be inextricably linked to mass media and traditional media. Communication is a tool in the hands of the media; thus, it is critical for the media to disseminate relevant and vital information to community members at the appropriate time. With access to this information, knowledge, and ideas, people will participate in their own development, resulting in community development. This will help to keep rural-urban drift to a bare minimum.
Communication, according to Ashok Kumar (2005), is a critical tool for rural and community development. Rural and community residents should not be denied the right to vital information that will aid in their development.
According to the report of the Newseum panel in Washington D.C. on September 12, communication is an essential tool for advocacy and mobilization that every government must use for development mobilization.
According to Ann Bush (communication and the Media, 2007), mass media, which is media for a large audience, can serve as a medium for Adult Education and Literacy programs, which will foster community development.
Participation of people in community development programs is becoming a central issue of our time, and this participation necessitates communication. Development programs can only reach their full potential if knowledge, ideas, information, and technology are effectively shared, and populations are motivated and committed to success.
In many ways, communication is essential to this task. It enables planners, for example, to consult with people when developing development programs in order to take into account their needs, attitudes, and traditional knowledge. Only through communication will project beneficiaries become the primary actors in ensuring the success of development programs (UNDP Human Development Report, 1993).
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According to Issa (1998: 132), community development serves as the foundation for national development, but this can only be accomplished with an effective communication system. He observes that “the rural populace suffers from acute low productivity, social and economic retrogression, and a lack of access to developmental knowledge and ideas due primarily to ignorance, which is also a direct result of either inadequate or total failure to communicate necessary information, ideas, and knowledge to them.”
The use of communication techniques, activities, and media provides people with powerful tools to both experience and guide change. An increased exchange of ideas, knowledge, and information across all sectors of society can lead to greater public involvement in a common cause. Communication is a fundamental requirement for effective and long-term rural and community development.
In order to complete this monumental task, various forms of media, both modern and traditional, should serve as channels of information dissemination to rural residents. This allows ideas and new knowledge to be shared among community members, which in turn promotes their development.
According to the United Nations (UN), communication is critical to community development, particularly women’s development. Communication is said to be important in assisting women’s groups in increasing their self-determination and in broadening the dialogue between sexes regarding rights, privileges, and responsibilities.
In his book “the role of communication in development, 2008,” Mabogunje highlighted the following areas where communication can help rural dwellers.
Malnutrition: The International Conference on Nutrition determined in December 1992 that 780 million people worldwide, mostly rural dwellers, suffer from chronic malnutrition. As a result, at the policymaker level, incorporating nutritional concerns into development policies is critical.
Rural poverty is characterized by a reliance on traditional knowledge and production systems in the majority of rural areas. Communication between local communities and national planners and policymakers is essential for eradicating this social ill. New knowledge and skills must be instilled in rural dwellers in order to improve their living conditions.
Population growth: Overpopulation in rural areas puts a strain on natural resources, food production, and the government’s ability to provide basic services. Population growth is determined by individual choices. Helping people make more informed decisions by raising awareness about the implications of family size, unwanted pregnancy, and family planning is an important role that communication plays in both community and national development.
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
The primary goal of community development is to provide residents with necessary and adequate information, ideas, skills, and knowledge to aid in their development. Development can only be achieved if adequate developmental information is disseminated to the rural population.
Community development is the gathering of community dwellers or inhabitants to identify their perceived needs, mobilize their resources, and direct them toward meeting those needs. The Lagos state government has designed and implemented a number of developmental programs in the hope that they will produce the desired results.
Millions of Naira are spent each year to provide drugs to general hospitals for disease treatment. It was discovered that community residents lack a hygienic attitude, live in a filthy environment, and drink clean water. Furthermore, poverty afflicts the residents of the community, as the majority of them are peasant farmers and petty traders.
Lagos State has the potential to develop all sectors of human endeavor, particularly if communication services in rural communities throughout the state are fully improved. Despite the poor living conditions of the rural dwellers in Lagos State, one may wonder how effective communication services can contribute to community development in Lagos State.
The answer lies in the use of various forms of media to disseminate new knowledge and skills to the residents of rural communities, the provision of essential amenities such as electricity, the use of effective communication to eradicate illiteracy and ignorance, and finally mobilizing the residents to participate in activities that will foster their development.
Though communication is important in community development, most rural areas in Lagos state lack social amenities such as electricity, which is assumed to be the primary source of power supply to information and communication gadgets such as television, digital video displays, and computers. Then there is the issue of how information, ideas, and knowledge would be disseminated by the media for development in the absence of essential amenity.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study’s goal is to determine the role of communication in community development.
The research will specifically:
i. Identify the primary modes of communication in rural areas.
ii. Determine rural residents’ level of access to communication channels.
iii. Determine the extent to which access to communication channels influences levels of participation in community development programs.
iv. Determine whether community development is aided by access to communication channels, information, and knowledge.
v. Determine whether modern media is more effective in community development than traditional media.
1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH
This study’s sole goal is to determine the role of communication in community development. As a result, the following research questions have been developed.
i. What are the most important modes of communication in rural areas?
ii. To what extent do rural residents have access to communication channels?
Is there a link between access to communication channels and participation in community development programs?
iv. Is there a link between rural residents’ access to communication channels, information, and knowledge and their levels of community development?
v. Is modern media more effective than traditional media in delivering community development programs?
1.6 HYPOTHESIS OF RESEARCH
The following hypotheses have been proposed.
i. There is no significant relationship between communication channel access and participation in community development programs.
ii. There is no significant relationship between rural dwellers’ access to communication channels, information, and knowledge and their levels of community development.
1.6 THE STUDY’S SIGNIFICANCE
The primary goal of this case study is to add to existing knowledge about the impact of communication on community development. The inhabitants of the Ibeshe community are the focus. Because most rural areas in Lagos state have low infrastructural development, illiteracy, and ignorance, the researcher wants to know if passing on appropriate developmental information, ideas, and knowledge to community members can help them grow.
As a result, the findings of this case study will be extremely useful to human resource planners, administrators, and community development program implementers. As information is gathered, it will be determined whether communication and its channels can be used to foster community development.
1.9 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this research is to look into the impact of communication on community development in Lagos State. Due to time and financial constraints, this research is limited to the Ibeshe community in the Ikorodu environs.
Ibeshe is a historic community in the Igbogbo Bayeku Local Council Development Area. The chairman of the council and the traditional monarch govern the community.
Questionnaires were distributed to council officials, while others were distributed to residents of the Ibeshe community, as well as the king and his chiefs.
1.10 TERM DEFINITION
Utopian: A fictitious state or location in which everything appears to be perfect.
Media: The primary means by which a large number of people obtain information and entertainment.
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