POVERTY REDUCTION PROGRAMMES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN NEWSPAPERS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Problem
Nigeria is believed to be one of the twenty poorest nations of the world, where 69% of its population, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2012 survey report, are relatively poor. Every morning, it appeared most Nigerians woke up without a clear picture of where to start from to make ends meet. To them, it would have been better morning never set in as the future seemed bleak. The scenario here contradicts Adeniran’s (2012, p.7) assertion that, “Nigeria is blessed with enormous oil wealth, large and diverse population, sea and rivers and extensive forest and land” which have not been translated to wealth for the majority.
The severity of poverty and its impact on most Nigerians, which Konkwo (2012, p.60) describes as a ‘monster’, has attracted several interventionist programmes. The National Bureau of Statistics’ (2010), report which survey was conducted in 2012, shows that 61.2% of Nigerians live below the poverty line of US $1 per day, and that 69% or 112,518,507 are relatively poor in relation to members of the society which has to do with individual income. The revelation, to say the least, is debilitating in a country where very few people live in absolute affluence.
Every year, the nation’s higher institutions pass-out thousands of graduates who need employment without the corresponding employment opportunities, not to mention numerous semi-skilled and unskilled young Nigerians who are able and ready to work but are without jobs. The state of poverty, as Konkwo (2012) has noted, can better be appreciated in the living conditions of Nigerians in both the rural and urban areas. While some live in shanties, the itinerant ones and those who have no homes often pass the night under bridges and flyovers and other such dehumanizing places. As a result, those who can no longer afford the ever increasing house rents resort to sleeping in their offices or squatting in neighbours’, friends’, colleague’s and/or relations’ apartments.
Poverty indices in Nigeria, in line with the aforementioned, includes: lack of or inadequate food with poor or no nutritional value, lack of access to healthcare, drinking water, clothing, education, transportation, among others. Zupi (2007) sums these up as a web of deprivation, resulting in destitution, distress and disadvantages, observing that those who are poor can be trapped in a vicious cycle of deprivation.
Aware of the negative impact of poverty on the socio-economic development of the country, various administrations, at different periods, had introduced programmes and policies aimed at either alleviating or reducing poverty. In 1971, the administration of General Yakubu Gowon introduced the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) to stem the tide of poverty in the country. From then, every other initiative of government, at the Federal, State and Local levels, was geared towards reducing poverty in the country. Between 1986 and 1997, there have been seven of such national programmes, among which were the Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI, 1986), the National Directorate of Employment (NDE, 1986), Better Life for Rural Women Programme (BLP, 1987), Peoples Bank of Nigeria, in (1989), Community Banks, in (1990), Family Support Programme (FSP, 994), and Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP) in (1997), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) in 2001, etc.
The United Nations, which Nigeria is a member of, “realizing the myriads of problems in most member-nations, especially of Africa, Asia and Latin America, met in New York, US, (2000), adopted a resolution to tackle the very problem facing the world in what is today referred to as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)”, (Okorie, 2006, p. 32). This is however replaced by the most current, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs). Incidentally, of the eight goals, eradication of extreme poverty and hunger was top on the list. The Nigerian Government immediately keyed into the world body’s initiative and introduced the National Poverty Eradication Programme, NAPEP, in 2001 to replace the earlier one, Poverty Alleviation Programme. How government intended to achieve this, till date is unknown, as it is aware of the fact that no place in the world, including the best economies, has been able yet to eliminate poverty completely.
Poverty alleviation appears a genuine approach to reducing the scourge of the problem as compared to eradication which is an absolute impossibility in a country where corruption, mal-administration and insincerity on the part of rulers are prevalent. However, this study is anchored on the poverty reduction programmes.
In 2004, government launched the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy, NEEDS, aimed at poverty eradication through education, seminars, workshops, conferences, provision of finance, and materials to the supposed poor in the society. The programme is fashioned in a way every segment of the society benefits such that there are: State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS); Local – (Government) Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (LEEDS); Community Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (CEEDS) and the Household, HEEDS.
Based on the global body’s projection, Nigeria as a growing country, was expected to move towards reducing poverty and achieving the MDGs, thus translating into a significant giant in socio-economic development for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. It is obvious that this has not been achieved more than 14 years after its introduction, perhaps the reason for the current Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It is however one thing for government to initiate programmes of benefit to the people and another for the people to be aware of such opportunities. Such could be said of poverty reduction programmes of the Federal Government, fashioned in line with the Millennium Development Goals. Since the press has the professional role of information dissemination, it is incumbent on it to keep the people informed of such objectives of government. In that light, Pigot (2007) identifies awareness building and solidarity as two specific roles of the press in promoting the MDGs, noting that the press must show commitment in reporting on the goals.
The mass media, including the newspaper, are expected to be in the forefront of creating awareness and have been known for to this since they have the capacity to carry detailed information on a particular issue and in the same manner, keep the people abreast of issues of poverty reduction. Daramola (2003, p. 123) asserts that, “newspapers provide a wider variety of news and information than other media and they present far more details than radio and television”. Indeed, because of the sensitivity of poverty in a society, the media (newspaper) through framing, give some overall interpretation to isolated items of fact (McQuail, 2005). Of course, it determines what dominates public discourse through frequency of coverage.
Baran (2001, p. 150) observes that “readers use newspapers to get information and interpretation of public affairs as tools for daily living, for example advertising, announcement of births, deaths and weddings, for relaxation and escape…” Such role may have informed Nwagbara’s (2010, p.20) insistence that “the media should be adequately involved in the emancipation and renaissance of the Niger Delta….” Of course, it is assumed that poverty is endemic in that region of Nigeria and that if awareness is created through the mass media (newspaper), it is obvious that the trend could change. If governments use the mass media to mobilize citizens to take part in electioneering activities, perform other tasks and labour unions use same to mobilize their members on issues of interest, it is also true that the proper use of the newspaper will create awareness of poverty reduction programmes and the people will embrace them for their betterment, and, the country would be the better for it. It is on this note that Soola (2003, p. 168), notes that, “the power of newspapers to inform, educate, sensitize, concretise and mobilise a people is, to say the least, tremendous”.
It is assumed that newspapers in Nigeria do cover poverty reduction programmes of government, what is in doubt is the extent and direction of coverage. It is also not known how print journalists perceive poverty reduction programmes in Nigeria. These provoked the researcher’s interest in undertaking a study on coverage of poverty reduction programmes by Nigerian newspapers and print journalists’ perception of the programmes.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It appears that the level of poverty in Nigeria, (a country blessed with abundant human and natural resources), is often underestimated. While some people base their ratings on unconfirmed figures from unofficial sources, others just make guesses, thus misleading the public.
The level of poverty in the country seems to be increasing each passing year and the Federal Government in an attempt to redress the trend, from time to time, depending on the situation, may initiate programmes aimed at reducing the scourge. Such had informed government’s holistic approach in tackling the problem of development through the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS) which focuses on four key strategies; reorienting values, reducing poverty, creating wealth, and generating employment. This initiative was expected to trickle down to the family level.
Earlier than now, the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) had been introduced to deal with issues relating to poverty reduction and the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Youth Empowerment Scheme, (YES), among others, were the driving force. In 2001, government replaced PAP with the National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP), targeted at the unemployed youths as well as the poor masses. The programme, many believed, cannot achieve set goals, since poverty eradication is an impossible task. These programmes are in line with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of the United Nations which had the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger as the first of the eight goals.
As lofty as these programmes are, if the masses for which they are meant are not aware of their existence, to what use are they? This is where the mass media, nay newspapers, come in, as an intermediate transmitter of information. The mass media are known to inform, entertain, educate, promote culture, integrate people, serve as a forum for public debate and discussion, motivate and mobilize people. Among these are issues of poverty reduction which the press does carry.
In February 2013, the Statistician General of the Federation, Dr. Yemi Kale, in a press briefing in Abuja, presented the preliminary National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 2010 Nigerian Poverty Profile report, (NBC, 2013). According to the report, 112,518,507 (69%) Nigerians are living in relative poverty. This is against the 54.5% in 2004. The report indicates that 61.2% are living below one US dollar per day. It is not known what is responsible for this continued rise in poverty, despite government’s initiatives.
In July 2013, Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) embarked on a long drawn strike which was as a result of Federal Government’s refusal to implement agreements reached over the years. The strike did not only affect all categories of staff in the University campuses, but owners of small scale businesses operating in and around the University communities. There were huge losses in financial and material terms, thus fueling the poverty profile of the country. This informed the choice of 2013 for the study.
Again, print journalists, in pursuance of their duty, cover the poverty reduction programmes of the Federal Government. What is probably not known is whether their perception of the programmes influences coverage. The major question that this work attempts to answer is: To what extent do Nigerian newspapers cover the Federal Government’s Poverty Reduction Programmes (PRP) and how does the print journalists’ perception of the Poverty Reduction Programmes (PRP) influence their coverage of the scheme? This work covers a period of twelve months, January 1st and December 31st, 2013.
- Objectives of the Study
The study was aimed at ascertaining the Coverage of Poverty Reduction Programmes by selected Nigerian newspapers and print journalists’ perception of the scheme.
The specific objectives of the study were to:
- Ascertain the frequency of coverage of poverty reduction programmes by selected Nigerian newspapers.
- Determine the direction of coverage of poverty reduction programmes in Nigerian newspapers.
- Assess the prominence accorded poverty reduction programmes in Nigerian newspapers.
- Examine the formats in which poverty reduction programmes are presented in Nigerian newspapers.
- Ascertain the dominant issues which engage the attention of Nigerian newspapers in the coverage of poverty reduction programmes.
- Determine print journalists’ perception of the poverty eradication programmes in Nigeria.
- Establish the relationship between journalists’ perception of the poverty reduction programmes and the newspaper coverage of the scheme.
1.4 Research Questions
The study attempted to provide answers to the following research questions with a view to meeting its objectives:
- What is the frequency of coverage of poverty reduction programmes in Nigerian newspapers?
- What is the direction of coverage of poverty reduction programmes in Nigerian newspapers?
- What level of prominence is accorded poverty reduction programmes in Nigerian newspapers?
- In what formats are the poverty reduction programmes presented in Nigerian newspapers?
- What issues dominate the coverage of the poverty reduction programmes in Nigerian newspapers?
- How do print journalists perceive the poverty reduction programmes in Nigeria?
- What is the relationship between journalists’ perception of the poverty reduction programmes and newspaper coverage of the practice?
1.5 Hypotheses
This study posed the following hypotheses:
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between print journalists’ perception of poverty reduction programmes and the coverage of the programmes in Nigerian newspapers.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between print journalists’ perception of poverty reduction programmes and the level of prominence accorded such programmes in newspapers.
1.6 Delimitation of the Study
The study focuses on the coverage of the Federal Government’s Poverty Reduction Programmes in three national newspapers: The Nation, The Punch and The Sun, published between January 1st and December, 31st, 2013. These newspapers were selected because of their national coverage and consistency in reportage of issues. Within this period, the National Bureau of Statistics gave a gloomy picture of poverty in the country and also the World Bank noted that there was massive poverty and unemployment in the country and ranked Nigeria 153 out of 186 in the world based on the United Nations Human Development Index (World Bank 2013). The effect of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike on the living condition of Nigerians, within the year also necessitated the choice of the period. The opinion survey aspect is also limited to only print journalists working in Akwa Ibom State.
1.7 Limitations of the study
The sample size for this study especially, for the complementary research design, survey, could limit the generalization of the findings, for the reason that one cannot be certain whether reporters in other parts of the country would not have divergent views on the subject matter. This could be so since conditions of poverty are variable and are influenced by religion, economic circumstances, geography and politics.
1.8 Significance of the Study
The study will provide data on Nigeria’s newspaper coverage of the poverty reduction programmes of the Federal Government and journalists’ perception of the programmes. It will afford newspaper publishers and editors the opportunity to re-appraise their performance, especially in the coverage of such important issues as poverty reduction programmes of government.
Managers of the various poverty reduction programmes of government would use this study as a good working material as it hopes to help them strategize for better publicity of the programmes. Indeed, it will add to existing knowledge for scholars, policy makers and students who may conduct related researches.
1.9 Definition of Terms
Some important terms used in this study were defined for proper understanding.
Coverage: This refers to the reportage of poverty reduction programmes in whatever form in The Nation, The Punch and The Sun, newspapers.
Newspaper contents: These are items contained in the newspaper such as news, features, editorials, letters to the editor, cartoons, photographs, opinion articles, personal columns, short stories, word puzzles and advertisements and read by people.
Poverty Reduction Programmes: These are measures initiated by the Federal Government of Nigeria from time in line to time with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to bring down the level of poverty in the country, such as Family Economic Advancement Programme, National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), SEEDS, LEEDS, HEEDS, Youth Employment Schemes, Community Works Programmes, etc.
Print Journalists’ Perception: This refers to the way journalists of the print media view the poverty reduction programmes of the Federal Government.
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