USE OF RADIO BROADCASTING IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT
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USE OF RADIO BROADCASTING IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study.
To assert that rural inhabitants constitute the “majority of mankind” is to state the obvious. The current picture of Nigeria encompasses all developing countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Ruralism, one could be tempted to believe, is synonymous with the overall state of underdevelopment in these countries.
By rural societies, we mean patterns of life that are traditionally orientated, linked to but distinct from urban areas, and combine market activity with subsistence production.
People involved in rural non-farm economic activities require information on food processing, banking, textiles, weaving, raffia work, and tailoring, among other things. They also require knowledge in woodworking, metalworking, radio, television, vehicle, and watch repair, as well as other miscellaneous occupations such as soap making (Belshew, 2005).
Rural residents also require education on the necessity of having a safe drinking water supply and preventing prevalent ailments. Children’s mortality and malnutrition are very widespread in rural regions, necessitating a large amount of information on childcare. Rural residents also demand information about social engagement in any rural development programme.
The preceding implies that the rural population is fundamentally defined by qualities such as widespread ignorance caused by their inability to read and write, dispersed communities, and a high level of illiteracy. Furthermore, the rural population accounts for the vast majority of those who are unable to access urban amenities such as adequate shelter and health care.
In connection to other places of the world. Rogers (2008) discovered that “Asia, Africa, and Latin America have a total of no less than 1.75 billion peasants,” implying that “three-quarters of the population in most less developed countries are peasant rural dwellers.”
In the case of Nigeria, aside from the much-quoted 75% of rural and illiterate Nigerians, the 2006 Nigerian census shows a total population of 166.2 million.
Rural areas accounted for a surprising proportion of this total. Given that the country’s population has gradually increased since the last census, it is easier to predict what the rural population situation will be like right now.
Clearly, the rural population suffers from acute poor productivity, social and economic regression, owing primarily to ignorance, which is also a direct result of either inadequate or complete lack of information provided to them (Belshew, 2005). As a result, they are socially excluded from actively participating in national development initiatives.
Given their numerical strength in comparison to the potential for beneficial contributions to society as a whole, their exclusion from the mainstream of events can best be regarded as a cog in the wheel of the nation’s advancement.
After all, the importance of information in human life and its status as a basic human need has never been disputed. If it is true that information and ideas, as agreed upon by information experts, are basic human needs
it would not be out of place to assert that free and equal access to such information and ideas by all members of society, regardless of racial, religious, geopolitical, or socioeconomic status, becomes even more fundamental (Njokus, 2001).
This is especially true given that every human community, whether urban and rural, has been discovered to be heavily reliant on various sorts of information, albeit at varying levels, for their everyday existence, survival, and growth.
The concept behind the birth of popular broadcast means of communication was thus rooted in a desire to reach out to everyone through information providing. The library, as an information provision mechanism, is a relatively new phenomenon.
The necessity to fully inform every element of a society was inextricably linked to an understanding of the value of information and knowledge as a true democratic tool. Effective access to it improves people’s ability to stay informed about current concerns and how to carry out personal and civic tasks and responsibilities.
In this way, every member is appropriately taken along; the individual, group, and national push for societal emancipation is accompanied by a much-needed sense of belonging. After all, a uniformed society cannot be free, and a society devoid of freedom can barely exist.
As a result, information specialists have emerged whose specialities concentrate around the fundamental functions of obtaining, processing, organising, and eventually distributing a wide range of usable information to an equally diverse audience (Moemeka, 2005).
This necessitated the training of people in the management and use of technological instruments such as newspapers and, more recently, satellite broadcasts, as well as the development of proper mechanisms for ensuring the provision of information.
These are hereby referred to as information professionals, in whatever guise or disguise, as long as they accomplish the previously described essential functions of information providing.
In rural areas, radio has an important role in transmitting information, educating and enlightening people, increasing national integration, and forming national identities.
Radio has the capacity to provide knowledge, inspiration, and instruction to rural communities. According to the definition of rural residents, the majority will be illiterates, with a few literates involved in the production of food fibre and raw resources.
Those involved in agriculture would undoubtedly require information on specific products needed on their land. They must understand where, when, and how to begin planting seeds, applying pesticides, operating mechanical equipment, and so forth. They also need to understand the process, supplier names, and how to meet the requirements for getting them (Njokus, 2001).
1.2 Statement of Problem
It is nevertheless true that rural information provision by information professionals is insufficient in Nigeria as a whole, and particularly in Edo State. It has been noted, and rightfully so, that the specific domain of information providing to rural inhabitants has suffered tremendously and chronically from near-complete neglect.
As a result, unlike its urban counterpart, the rural population lacks access to information. The urban-oriented nature of popular media and mass information distribution enterprises such as radio exacerbated the situation by giving the unwholesome perception that information demands and efforts to address such requirements are solely urban affairs. The question that this study addresses is: what role does radio play in rural development?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
i. Investigate the value of radio to rural residents.
ii. Investigate the role of radio in supporting rural development.
iii. Determine the issues impeding the use of radio for rural residents’ social, political, and economic growth.
iii. Determine the extent to which radio has helped ensure rural development.
v. Determine the extent to which the rural community relies on radio for information.
1.4 Research Questions.
The study addressed the following questions in accordance with its purpose.
i. What are the benefits of radio to rural residents?
ii. What is radio’s role in rural development?
iii. What are the challenges that the print media faces in disseminating information to rural communities?
iv. To what extent has radio helped to ensure rural development?
V. To what extent do rural areas rely on radio for information?
1.5 Significance of the Study
The significance of this finding cannot be overstated, considering the value of information to humanity.
The findings of this study will enable print media and staff to supply enough information for rural development.
It will also serve as a reference for rural residents, teaching them on the role of print media in rural development.
In academia, the findings of this study will help lecturers, particularly those who teach relevant areas, pass on knowledge to their pupils. It will be useful as reference material for lecturers.
Finally, students of mass communication will benefit from the work because it addresses their area of specialisation.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This research aims to critically assess radio as an effective medium for developing rural areas in Nigeria.
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