Opinion
The Mass Media And Nation Building
Okpala Eziamaka C.
Though before the advent of the mass media, communication already existed only within a limited confine. By the dawn of the 19th century, the mass media began to emerge, the face of communication art of passing or disseminating information to a large audience. This goes to say that mass communication makes communicating with a large number people simultaneously possible.
The mass media have exerted enormous power and influence on the people that mass media have become part of their every day life. Some people prefer to listen to radio, watch television or read newspapers, magazines before laying their hands on anything. Imagine how you will fill when you wake up one morning, tune the radio or television or search for a newspaper, but could not get hold of any. How would you know the happenings within, outside and inside your environment without the media? Would you have heard of Obama without the media? How would you know about the policies or programmes of the government of the day without the media or how would have government been relevant to the people without the media?
Thomas Jeferson once said, “I will prefer to run the media without the government than to run the government without the media”. Mass media are those channels or ways through which information are disseminated to a large, heterogeneous, scattered and amorphous audience who receive the message simultaneously. mass media are classified into two parts, print media, which includes; book, newspaper, magazine and electronic or broadcast media which comprise of film, radio, television and internet.
As an element of increasing importance in the political life of every civil society, especially with the increasing democratization of nation’s policy, there is multiplicity of linkage between the mass media, the society and its politics, their activities and influence taking from the pre and post world war period to this present era of communication technology explosion, the mass media have proven to be veritable instruments for political mobilization.
The media now are creating awareness both for immediate environment and outside the world. It is worthy to note that the mass media do not only create awareness as well as serving as a means for expression of ideas but they are social force to be reckoned with and a vehicle for mobilization.
However, the mass media play a watch dog role in any society to keep surveillance on the government.
Infact, it is major tool since the mass media work for good relation between the rulers and the ruled.
The media perform this effective role in a democratic era, for instance, the mass media in 2003 election performed this role starting from the operations, agitations against malpractices in the election by the masses and other political candidates were as a result of information received by the media.
Through this, they get knowledge of the happening in the national assemblies. Different bills pertaining to the election are reported to police, the parliamentary reports also take feedback to the government to affect changes or correction when ever it is necessary.
Nevertheless, no matter how laudable a government considers its policies to be, the relevance of its activities need to be mobilized, gingered up for the achievement of national or societal aims and goals, and this can hardly take place without the mass media.
It therefore suffices to say that the mass media have a special role to play in gender issues and also in promoting or encouraging political participation. The mass media are not only to cover the campaigns and provide unbiased information to the public but they have been assigned the job of interpreting the campaigns and living the political choices at state. The media also promote gender equality among women. They do this through media programmes, organizing seminars and conferences such as, “Today’s women and women in focus. The media do this with the purpose of showcasing the women and showing them a sense of belonging in the society. The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), for instance, presents women discuss their problems in the society and proffer solution to those problems.
The media are equally alarmed and tend to moblize the people against the activities of the self appointed “God fathers” and their estranged political “godsons”. The guardian of April 3, 2005, 8-9, showcased the discordant tunes in the policy especially of the Eastern states. Precisely, between Governor Mbadinuju of Anambra State and one Emeka Offor and that of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani of Enugu State and Jim Nwobodo. The press indeed had been prophetic in their political sensitization role in informing the people before hand, of the likely show of shame of such unwholesome political union would lead to.
Mass Media perform agenda-setting function, which focus on the idea that people desire media assistance in determining political reality. But not only focusing attention on certain issues but by placing much emphasis on them at the expense of others, the people come to know what to talk and think about.
Eziamaka is of Anambra State University.
Quote:”Communities have rights to peace, safety, and quality of life. Noise pollution, crowds, or other impacts from religious activities can affect these rights. Balancing these interests requires consideration and dialogue”.
“All work and no play”, its said, “makes Jack a dull boy.” Despite this age-long maxim that recognises the role of play in early childhood development, play appears to be eluding many Nigerian kids. The deprivation of play opportunities comes in different forms for the Nigerian child depending on family’s social setting or status, but the effect is much the same. For children in Nigerian poor families, life is becoming as much a hassle as it is for their struggling parents. Due to harsh economic conditions, many families resort to engaging their kids prematurely in trading activities especially in hawking, to help boost family revenues, when these kids should be enjoying leisure after school. Some of these children barely attend schools while being forced to spend much of their childhood hustling in the streets. For children from well-off families, time could be as crunchy as it is for their busy parents when, obsessed with setting agenda for the future of their kids, parents arrange stringent educational regiment too early for their kids.
These group of children are made to get-off the bed by 5.30am every weekday, get ready for private school buses that call at 6.00am, otherwise report by however means to school at 7.20am.The situation is worse for kids in the city of Lagos where the need to beat urban traffic rush-hours is very high. Most children are further subjected to extra hours of lessons after school at 2.00pm, only to be released with loads of homework. On many occasions children who leave home for school at 6.30am get back by 3.30pm. With hardly enough time to eat, do school assignments and take afternoon naps, these children hardly had time for plays before dinners. In Nigeria, kids of ages between 3 and 12 spend averages of 9 hours a day and 45 hours a week to and from schools, and additional hours doing home assignments and domestic jobs, whereas their peers in developed countries spend about half that duration and have more time for leisure.
Any remaining spare time left after school work or street hustle is further stolen, when kids who usually are fascinated by gadgets, are exposed to household electronics like phones, tablets and gaming consoles. Electronic games may create a sense of leisure, but the difference with human interactions is that kids doing games interface mostly with machines or with programme structured in ways that entrap a child’s pysch directionally, according to the game’s programming, in ways that may not encourage independent thinking. Moreso, attraction to such gadgets displaces kids’ attention from important television and radio programmes. The prevalent tight, academic schedules for some Nigerian kids, though intended for academic excellence, encroaches on childhood leisure time needed to achieve an all-round childhood development, and could make children to resent formal education altogether. Besides, academic excellence or economic pursuit, is not all there is to living a well-nurtured life.
Children’s leisure time, defined as time left over after sleeping, eating, personal hygiene and attending school or day-care, is very crucial to childhood development. Sociologists recommend that children should have at least 40 per ceny of the day as leisure. According to Berry Brazelton, a former pediatrician at Harvard Medical School, “Play is the most powerful way a child explores the world and learns about him or herself.” Unstructured play encourages independent thinking and allows the young to negotiate their relationships with their peers, and in the process build self-confidence and self-control. Play is one of the important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills. Leisure time enhances learning as fun enables children to learn at their own level and pace. Young children naturally explore and learn many skills by making cognitive connections from events that catch their attention.
Unstructured plays help children developed their cognitive, physical and communication skills that make them acquire social qualities necessary in navigating relationships in adult life. Plays enable children assess how others feel and learn perspectives as well as empathy through observing differences in facial expressions, body language and even tone of voice, which helps them copy how to express themselves to others, and therefore develop socially acceptable behavours that build relationships. In cooperative activities, children willingly take things in turn and may delegate roles. Children can also share the glory of winnings through competitive games, which is all great for working together in task sharing. Aside encouraging parents to ensure adequate leisure time for their kids at home, schools should make plays and exercises an integral part of the educational curriculum. The educational curriculum set by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) includes specific training durations and break periods, as well as sporting activities, as part of the school system.
Due to poor government funding, sports in public schools have declined, while most private schools lack sporting infrastructure or even play grounds. These make recreational activities and sports implementation almost impossible in schools. Also, the increasing rate of urbanisation in Nigerian communities is gradually eroding ancient playgrounds, while established urban centres have lost community playgrounds. With tightening apartment spaces now being the norm in most urban residential areas, many kids are forced to wriggle within burglary-proof enclosures. Nigerian governments and the relevant agencies should ensure that existing child labour protection laws, educational and urban development codes are implemented in the country, to enable proper nurturing of children as the future stakeholders of our society. Private schools, especially, should be supervised to ensure they follow the educational curriculum standards set by NERDC.
In a bid to impress parents and draw more patronage as better option than public schools, private schools, most of whom operate in cramped environments, have continued to set high regiments of training schedules beyond the capacity of most kids, and even encourage enrollment of pre-school age kids who can not sit still to listen for an extended periods of time. Schools, from creche to secondary levels, without playgrounds and recreational facilities should not be allowed to operate, and should be made to understand and implement appropriate curriculum and training durations. Many Nigerian kids, whether from rich or poor families, appear to have been set-up inadvertently, in the same leisure denial that affects their parents. All work and no play could lead to some messed-up kids who grow up not understanding social cues, and being unemotional and self-centered, manifest later as obsessive-compulsive adults.
By: Joseph Nwankwo
We thank God who is above all human contrivance and arrogance. Congratulations, Your Excellency Amaopusenibo Sir Siminalayi Joseph Fubara. Your victory takes us back to the Bible as a living document of a God that rules in the affairs of all His creation. In a manner of speaking, welcome back from your first war with Phillistines, Your Excellency! Yes, first example is David and Goliath! And like David, Your Excellency stands over Goliath in victory. But that is not enough. Our real enemy is that Your Excellency is Governor of a State with a wretched economy. Indigenes of Your State are today reduced to battalions of beggars waiting for who will hire their loyalty on the usual “pay-as-you-go” basis.
Your Excellency, it brings us to another Bible- based parallel. Conscientious Rivers indigenes above 50, should identify with and commit our all to this second parallel. It is to liberate the economy and people of Rivers people from 23 years enslavement and poverty, for us to regain our dignity and pride. When the economy of Egypt was drifting into a disaster zone, even Pharaoh did not know it. He also did not know what to do. But God sent a Joseph to build the economy into a fortress of good fortune that overcame the economic and social disaster Egypt did not know was ahead. Your Excellency for 23 years, Rivers State has been ruled without any logical, credible and consistent PLAN of how to overcome mass poverty from our dehydrated local economies.
Your Excellency, Rivers State cannot survive one month without Federal allocation! So called IGR only about 10 per cent of Federal allocation.It is also not based on what we produce but on tax from other people’s productivity that pass through our State. Pharaoh did not know what to do in the case of Egypt. May it please God to position another Joseph in Governor Siminalayi Joseph Fubara to heal Rivers State and build an economy that all Africa will come to access in order to chart a new course out of worsening economic hardship that is caused by near zero investment in productivity and endemic reckless looting. They are the twin chambers nursing a corporate cancer unfolding across Nigeria and Africa. The hard work begins today, Your Excellency.
We need an economic blueprint that will enrich every Rivers senatorial district from investment to grow productivity and to enrich every Rivers person from career-based productive labour, just as Pharaoh was enriched by Joseph’s economic Blueprint. Let Rivers State stop the trend of waiting the lives of young Rivers people recruited by Phillistines into cultism, thuggery and easy money, as a career. These Phillistines believe they have only lost one phase of many legal battles and battles by other means. But from comments in the public media, their eyes are fixed on 4-years of war and more! Your Excellency, we the people will not let you forget what you owe us. We have to make unbelievers see that your leadership is different and that we are uprooting the old order of an unproductive Feudal System. That system makes a few persons and their cronies to monopolise our collective wealth, while the majority are left in misery. Let’s put an end to enslavement by cabals and mass poverty in Rivers State. That is when the Phillistines will surrender.
By: Amaopusenibo Brown