CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
The preparation for the conduct of the Nigeria’s 2019 general elections had witnessed a rise in the use of radio as a means of airing political campaign messages. Even, before then, a proliferation of radio stations in the entire country was witnessed. The radio stations that were mainly local stations otherwise known as FM stations were used to air political campaign messages by the government, political parties and candidates. After the conduct of 2011 general elections in Nigeria, Utor, (2011, p. 39) conducted a research in order to find out the reason for lack of participation by the citizens. His findings showed that voters in Nigeria have low levels of political knowledge and information. Moreover, he recommended the use of radio as the channel of disseminating political campaign messages while targeting audience. Buttressing this, Jibo (1996, p. 127) suggest the importance of focusing on the influence of radio political campaign messages. He found out that radio as a medium can help in enhancing the political information awareness of the Nigerian voters.
Modern day politics demand that political parties serve as a platform through which politicians contest for different elective positions. And in order for these electorates to participate, Adibe (2015, p. 7) observed that they (electorates) are mobilized to vote candidates into various offices. These mobilizations are done through production and airing or publishing of political campaign messages that aimed to educate and influence voters to act during the elections. Supporting this position, Adaba (2015, p. 13) observed that, as Nigerians conducted their 2015 general elections, such political communication in the form of various campaign messages were witnessed. He asserts, that “Radio, which is one of the most frequent media used by campaign organizers and political parties, witnessed such presence of political campaign messages even higher.”
Today, voters in Nigeria come across various political campaign messages through listening to radio. Pate (2014, p. 3) in a result of a nationwide study carried out by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2011 showed that Nigerians are heavily dependent on radio as major source of public information. The study titled: Access to Information and Communication Technology revealed that (80%) of Nigerians have access to radio, though there exist a demographic variation in ownership rates especially among the genders. A result of exposure to medium of the radio shows that (39%) of women listen to the radio at least once a week, while (55%) of men listen to the radio for the same period. In terms of educational background, it was established (66%) of women with a secondary education or higher listens to the radio at least once a week, as compare with (23%) of women with no education. In men, age barrier determines the level of listening to the radio. For example, men aged 45 – 59 and above (61.6%) listen to radio more than other age brackets. Furthermore, residency equally shows difference in exposure and usage to the radio. Urban women that listen to radio comprises (52.2%) against rural women (30.2%). In the same vein (62.2%) of men living in urban areas listen to radio as against (48.8%) of those living in rural areas. It is important to note that, according to the cultural settings of Nigerian culture, rural dwellers believe more in interpersonal communication as means of receiving information.
Agencies like the National Orientation Agency (NOA); civil societies like the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) that serves as election observers, among others; electoral bodies like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Nigeria were all aware of the pervasiveness of the radio. These bodies, among others, involved radio in enlightening citizens about the political system. With this development, Obot (2009, p. 56) showed that audience members got to know about aspirants and candidates for various elective posts as well as the manifestoes of political parties mostly through the medium of the radio. Additionally, Ukwu (2007, p. 165) stressed that radio as a medium used in Nigeria’s political process had witnessed development in producing knowledge as regards to choose and voting. On this, Obeta (2007, p. 123) offers a piece of advice that any person or group of persons and even government that ignore the role of radio in their life is courting some danger because radio reportage on the political life alone is crucial to its survival and growth. Nigeria is a country that can be described as a nation, where people are mostly guided by their ethnic affiliation and identity. This identity led to the proliferation of local media outfits especially local radio stations. These local radio stations give all the various community leaders in the locality advantages by allowing them to speak to their ethnic community members or tribal members. This is one reason that makes local radio stations more patronized by the various community members. And this also allows community leaders to speak to their co-community members directly.
In Akwa Ibom State, where this research was conducted the proliferation of local radio stations has gone up. These stations usually speak to their listeners mostly in their local language. The stations cover local events like farmers’ programs, etc. This is the reason why during electioneering campaigns, electoral actors i.e. the political parties, candidates and electoral regulatory bodies engage these community leaders to explain to people their political messages. In a study, Kolawole (2015, p. 51) established that majority constituting (59%) of the respondents confirmed that they did not search for information on who to vote, meaning that most of them voted on the advice or instruction of their leaders. The study, an analysis of the influence of opinion leaders on the voting decision of rural voters: an evidence from Ayetoro, Ogun – state of Nigeria, showed that (75%) of the respondents believed their community and religious leaders more than other sources of political information.
Akwa Ibom people are very attached to listening to local radio more than any other medium. A study conducted by Sanda (2014, p. 11) found that in Nigeria and Kano in particular, people listen to radio more than any other form of media. Buttressing this, Belli (2013: 23) asserts that, “radio gives enlightenment to a lot of people. It gets to people more than any other kind of media”. In all corners of the state, you find a farmer working on his farm and at the same time listening to radio or meat seller while frying his meat for customers but listening to his radio. Even women that stays at home preparing daily meals listen to radio. It is on this basis, this research study seeks to establish the extent to which political campaign messages aired on radio by politicians and other political stakeholders targeted at potential voters, influences the voting pattern of electorates in Akwa Ibom State during the conduct of Nigeria’s 2019 elections.
1.1.1 Brief History of Radio Development in Nigeria
Radio started in Nigeria with the introduction of the Radio Distribution in the year 1933 in Lagos by the British colonial government under the Department of Post and Telegraph (P & T). In 1935, the Radio Distribution System was changed to Radio Diffusion System with the aim of spreading the efforts of Britain and her allies during the Second World War through the BBC. The Ibadan station was commissioned in 1939, followed by Kano station in 1944. Later a re-appraisal of radio broadcast objectives gave birth to the establishment in 1950 of the Nigerian Broadcasting Service (NBS). The NBS began broadcast in Lagos, Kaduna, Kano and Enugu on shortwave and medium wave transmitters. Through a bill by the House of Representatives, the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) was established in 1956. The NBC took up the responsibilities of radio broadcast in Nigeria. The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) was established 1978. The Voice of Nigeria (VON) which served as the external service was established in 1990. With the creation of more states and each state wanting to propagate its people and culture, the place for radio broadcast began in Nigeria and has spread fast across the length and breadth of Nigerian nation. Today, in Nigeria each state owns and operates several radio stations. This is in addition to private radio stations. The communication of radio in Nigeria, according to Anifowose (2013, p. 19) involves the process by which information and understanding are transferred from one person to another. He further found that radio can be multi-faced as among other things, it can serve to pass messages, improve the capability of calling upon and organizing groups and organizations, enlarge the forum for social dialogue, provide effective capacity building of the community to raise awareness and knowledge of community issues, bring the people’s voice to the higher level of their political structure and mobilize community to tackle issues. A study on the assessment of radio as development tool conducted by Familusi (2014, p. 6) found that (57.6%) of respondents believe that radio is the most important instrument and tool for communication development. Radio ranked as the most popular means of disseminating information, regardless of the continent, (Omensea (1997, p. 31). He further observed, that illiteracy is no barrier to radio messages since such messages can be passed in the audience’ own language.
As observed earlier, in Nigeria, people still uses radio as the most source of information due to its attachment with local environment. Even as we live in modern day technology where there are provisions of multimedia and computers and internet, radio still maintains it leading role in information dissemination in Kano particularly, and Nigeria in general. The use of internet and other multimedia technology still faces working challenges. For example, in most rural areas where more than or at least half of Nigerians live, internet signals are weak and hence people cannot rely on it. Again, there is still non constant supply of electricity at the local level which hinders the utmost use of television, and so on. In that kind of settings, really, radio can’t be so easily substituted. Another advantage of radio program is that it can be done almost anywhere through the use of a tape recorder (Nwuzor, 2000, p. 29). A study carried out by Ariyo (2013, p. 21) on the role of mass media in the dissemination of agricultural technologies among farmers in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State revealed that the respondents have different degree of accessibility to radio, television, telephone, internet, and newspaper/bulletin. However, radio was found to be more accessible (46.3%) and also the major source (60.19%) of information on agricultural technologies to the farmers. This has just introduced us to a brief history of radio development. Therefore, the following sub-section would take us through the role being played by the mass media during the conduct of elections in Nigeria.
1.1.2 Mass Media and Elections in Nigeria
Over the years, mass media have proven to be veritable sources of information during elections in Nigeria. The mass media have been used to propagate political ideas often known as propaganda, and also used an instrument of political mobilization by different political parties in the country. The Nigerian mass media is always alive to its duty before, during and after election given its prime position as the vital source of information about elections in democracies and societies in transition around the world. In the view of Graber (2001, p. 278) media coverage is the very lifeblood of politics because it shapes the perception that form the reality on which political action is based. Media do more than depict the political environment they are the political environment. Media are the prime source of information we have about political activities. This is due to the media’s commitment in fulfilling their obligation as spelt out in section 22 of the 1999 Nigeria’s Constitutions. According to the section, the “press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times, be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this Chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people”.
Essentially, the media’s contribution to the electoral process is anchored on the “Agenda setting” function that is integral to the informing, educating, mobilizing and crusading roles of the media. Also, the media’s participation in the electoral process find reasonable explanation and justification in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stipulates in Articles 21 (3) that “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; thus shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.” The declaration gives a filling to the public service responsibility of the media which include mobilizing the people for political action. In Nigeria, the media and election coverage are like Siamese twins. The media much more than any institution in society are one of the best instruments for mobilizing the people during election as well as informing them on the latest development as regards electoral activities in the country. Mass media and elections in Nigeria can be clearly seen under the following aspect; uses of propaganda during elections, the press and political mobilization during elections, the press at the scene of elections, and the press after elections. It was through the mass media that the electorates got to know the mind of candidates and also narrow down the voters’ wide range of choice before the voting. The mass media, according to Opene (2012, p. 19) therefore, “provides avenue for letting the people know what trends are, in terms of election periods, and what it means to exercise their franchise, civic rights, to vote and voted for.” The mass media during the 2015 general elections were able to let the electorates know that their votes will count.
Also, during the 2019 elections, the mass media served as an institution through which the politicians attempted to reach the electorates in order to win elections. Therefore, the connection between the politician and mass media can be seen from the perspective of the politician who wants to win an election. In the process, they (political actors) through the publication, disseminating and/or airing of their prepared political campaign messages work hard to capture the attention and interest of the voters that the mass media controls. The medium of the radio among other forms of media is believed to be more influential on the electorates’ voting behavior in Akwa Ibom has been deliberated in the following subsection.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Radio as a medium of communication influences how people experience their political life by its regular broadcast of news material in current affairs, politics and other areas. Radio is still the best way for political parties and candidates to influence people. In Nigeria, the political institutions in the past employed the use of traditional means of communication to share their political campaign messages to potential voters. However, in recent times, there is a shift from defending much on use of direct or face-to-face meetings, and instead embark on the use of mostly local radio stations to send political campaign messages to the populace, especially potential voters. Akwa Ibom state which is the main focus of this research witnesses the proliferation of local radio stations both state-owned and private owned stations. Government at all levels struggles to control the political sphere in the state using radio as a means of disseminating their messages during and after elections. This development saw the establishment of many radio stations in comparison to other forms of media, both in Akwa Ibom and across Nigerian state. The issue is whether the huge political campaign messages by the parties, candidates and other political institutions being aired on local radio have bearing to creation and sustenance of awareness of a party and/or its candidate(s) for election. Furthermore, it is a question for determination whether or not there is a relationship between radio political campaign messages and the voters’ behavior leading to the turn out in the participation during the elections; and the outcome of the elections result.
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