The Use of Public Relations Strategies in Tackling Cases of Flood in Rivers State

Flooding has become a recurrent environmental problem in parts of the world including Nigeria. Several events cause flooding in Nigeria. Flood impact negatively on the people and society in form of loss of lives, destruction of houses, farmlands means of livelihood and infrastructural facilities as well as exposure to diseases, infections and dangerous reptiles and insects. Therefore, the study was carried out to review the causes and effects of flood and how best to utilize the techniques and strategies of the Public Relations to tackle its menace in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Areas of Rivers State. The urban resilience and social responsibility theory formed the theoretical framework used in this study. Sampling quota drawn from each of the three LGAs was adopted. Apart from the use of interview technique and questionnaire to collect data, a combination of public relations strategies was deployed to address flooding in the affected LGAs of the State. Many factors, including paucity of funds, idiosyncrasies of the flood victims, religious and cultural beliefs of the people challenged the efforts of the PR practitioners for a social re-engineering process towards a harmonious society. The study, therefore, recommends that government should come up with legislation to fight flooding as well as provide financial and material support to flood victims. Keywords: Flood, flood hazard management, public relations, social responsibility theory, urban resilience theory and strateg

The Role of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in Rural Development of Nigeria

Information and Communication Technology  (ICT), the world over, has gained prominence,  especially in the area of communication, to the extent that the level of understanding of several tenets in every sphere of life has also been better understood, arising from the gains of communication empowered by technology.  It is common knowledge to aver that communication that is imbued with digital ingredients know no boundaries.  It means, therefore, that information and communication technology cut across all shades of people, irrespective of culture, location among others, provided that the accessibility is ultimately guaranteed.  Thus, in Africa, rural dwellers are kept abreast with happenings globally with the instrumentality of information and communication technologies, their location notwithstanding. However, there are myriad of gains accruable from the existence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa, especially in the realm of rural development.  It is also evident that there are challenges inherent in their use. This article x-rays the role of ICTs in rural development in Nigeria, juxtaposing it with their challenges. Keywords: ICT, Rural, Development, Nigeria, Afric

The Role of the Media in Tourism Development in Nigeria: The Rivers State Experience

The media are potent tools in mass mobilization, information dissemination, entertainment, socialization, integration, cultural promotion amongst others. The media plays a major role in cultural promotion and preservation at all levels. Cultural promotion entails that the media transmit and showcase the cultural heritage of a people to others such that those who are not aware of it become fully aware and also acquaint the incoming generation with their culture. Most of these cultures have gone into extinction or tilting towards going into extinction as a result of non-transmission to incoming generation. This paper x-rays the role of the media in tourism development in Nigeria with focus on Rivers State. The work is anchored on the Agenda-Setting theory which explains the effects of mass communication on culture and society. The work recommends that the media should do more in terms of advocacy reportage on cultural activities of Rivers State to keep the people alert and informed of such cultural activities as well as afford others the opportunity to leverage on the opportunities that such avenues provides thereby leading to tourism development in the state which will transcend to Nigeria as a whole. Key words: Media, Culture, Tourism, Promotion, Nigeria.