NOLLYWOOD PORTRAYAL OF THE NIGERIAN SOCIETY: ISSUES IN QUESTION

Nollywood has over the years become a world phenomenon, as its movies are being sold in Ghana, Togo, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa as well as Jamaica, USA and the UK to name a few. This paper looks at the portrayal (positive and negative) of the Nigerian society by Nigerian movies and finds out that the movie industry has not fully reflected an appropriate image of Nigeria. The paper concludes that we (Nigerians) owe it to our country to help uplift her image, one that has been battered by our governments and Nigerians themselves. All the same, the movie business has become a template of unity, a mirror of what is not ideal and also a ba(i teacher of what is right

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN HIV/AIDS AWARENESS FOR NIGERIA'S DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA

HW I AIDS is one of the biggest global concerns and the worst pandemic humanity has ever faced. It has spread further, faster and with more catastrophic long-term effects than any other disease. Despite several campaigns and awareness, its impact has become a devastating obstacle to development. This paper discusses the strategies of distinctive and pivotal roles the media can play in the fight against HW I AIDS to enhance development. The paper opines that the mass media can be instrumental in breaking the silence that surrounds the disease and in creating an environment that encourages discussion of how individuals can protect themselves and change their behaviour, if necessary, and suggests that media organisations should rise to the challenge by promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS and educating listeners and viewers about the facts of the pandemic

Newspaper Coverage of Women's Participation in the 2011 General Elections in Nigeria

In a representative democracy, which has been tested and achieved in varying degrees across Africa, elections are the means or a vehicle by which people make choices about who should represent them, as well as express preference for given policies. In Nigeria, elections are instruments of legitimisation for a political body. These cannot be achieved without a strong, fair, dedicated and responsible media. Promoting equitable, balanced and conflictsensitive election reporting in Nigeria's print media is crucial. This study ascertained how well Nigerian newspapers reported women's participation in the 2011 general elections. Two Nigerian daily newspapers were studied: The Punch and The Guardian (December, 2010 and August 2011). A total of 464 stories were gathered, out of which only 62 stories were on women's participation. The minimal visibility and coverage of women political actors in Nigerian newspapers is well revealed with 90 percent of the stories found inside the pages of the newspapers while there were no stories on the back pages

Radio and Political Mobilisation of Women in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government of Ogun State

This study explores the role of radio in mobilising women for politics in Ado-Odo/Ota area of Ogun state of Nigeria. Survey design was used and the results were presented with tables and analysed using simple percentages. The sample size of the study was 200 respondents but only 199 copies of the questionnaire were useful for analysis. This study examined the extent to which women were enlightened by radio and it found out that radio was one of the major medium through which they were aware of political events amidst other factors like other women politicians acting as role models to women of the community. The researchers discovered that the respondents who are women listen to radio, some on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. It was also revealed that radio discusses political issues but many of the respondents are of the view that their community and culture mobilised them the more in participation in politics. It was therefore recommended that radio can also play a major role in mobilising women for politics, but radio cannot work in isolation. The radio should therefore seek ways to produce better political programmes that can effectively appeal to the rational of its audience by putting into consideration other factors, (culture, community, etc.) and by so doing the women are confident that their beliefs are still important and not treated as nothing. Radio can encourage women by bringing female politicians who have made it to enlighten other women on the benefits of participating in politics. These women can act as role models to other women and when people have role models, the tendency to do as they do is high

An appraisal of Nigerian Newspapers coverage of women’s participation in 2007 elections.

fair, safe and professional media election coverage. It is a truism that the media play an indispensable role in the proper functioning of a democracy. Discussion of the media's functions usually focuses on their "watchdog" role: by unfettered scrutiny and discussion of the successes and failures of governments, the media can inform the public of how effectively its representatives have performed and help to hold them to account. Yet the media can also play a more specific part in enabling full public participation in elections by giving equal coverage to both men and women in politics. The study aimed to ascertain how well Nigerian newspapers cover women’s participation in 2007 general elections. There are many newspapers in Nigeria; however, this study makes use of two national newspapers as the research is on a national issue. For the purpose of this study, two Nigerian daily newspapers were studied- The Punch and Guardian. For the study period of eight months, 422 stories were gathered out of which only 56 stories were on women’s participation. Also, the data analyzed indicated that of the 56 news items, 50 (89.3%) were on the inside pages while the back page recorded the least, 1 (1.8%). The media is encouraged to air their opinions on women’s issues especially when the turnout is much as witnessed in the last general elections. Editorials allow the newspaper house to share their opinions on national issues; it will be stimulating to perceive different views of women’s participation in politics. It will indeed be interesting and different to see editorials on women during elections and on women in general. It is therefore pertinent for media professionals to play their fundamental role in the quest to eradicate gender discrimination of all types. KEY WORDS: Media, elections, participation, newspaper, women, politic

Perceived Influence of Television Cartoons on Nigerian Children’s Social Behaviour

The forces that shape children’s impressionable minds are found mostly in the environment where they grow up. Such things include the things they are exposed to on a daily basis. It has been said that cartoons have influence on children’s behaviour but the nature of the influence and whether the parents, as well as children, are aware of this development have not been determined in Nigerian context. Thus, this study sought to examine the influence of cartoons on Nigerian children’s social behaviour from the perspective of the parents and the children. Survey design was adopted. Data were collected from 100 pupils and 50 parents through questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussion. Percentages and chi-Square were used for data analysis. The findings show that both children and parents share similar understanding on the influence of cartoons on children as being positive. While cartoons are said to help children’s spoken English, learning inventions and good morals, as well as keep children busy among other benefits, some parents expressed that some influence of cartoons could be negative and therefore some regulations required in mitigating those negative aspects of cartoons. It is recommended that parents should make a conscious effort to monitor the cartoons that their children watching to ensure that it is appropriate to their age

Assessing the Uniqueness of Indigenous Language in Advertising: Analysis of Figurative Language Used in Selected Telecommunication Yoruba Advertisement in Nigeria

In this paper, the researchers look at the uniqueness of indigenous language and how figurative language is used to communicate meaning in telecommunication Yoruba advertisements. There are four major telecommunication operators in Nigeria- MTN, Airtel, GLO and 9 mobile. The highest two operators with active subscribers-MTN and Airtel were chosen for this study. All MTN Yoruba advertisements and all airtel Yoruba advertisements were the population of the study. Through random sampling, MTN Smart Recharge advertisement and Airtel Goody bag advertisement were the sample. The qualitative textual analysis was employed to examine the figurative languages used in MTN Smart Recharge Yoruba advertisement and Airtel Goody bag Yoruba advertisement. The researchers found that 12 figurative languages were used and described in 25 presentations (Metaphor, allusion, symbolism, eulogy, sarcasm, pun, anaphora, repetition, hyperbole, simile, alliteration, rhetorical question) in the two selected advertisements. We, therefore, recommend among others that advertisers, not just telecommunication companies should pay serious attention to the use of figurative language that can attract the audience to their services and show the uniqueness of indigenous language

Development Journalism, Africa and Breast Cancer Care Among Women

In the sphere of media studies, development journalism has been conceived as a type of journalism that can be used to facilitate development in any modern society. Among scholars and media experts, development journalism is essential in tackling development issues that affect the different facets of life. The thrust of this paper explores the effective use of development journalism as a means of promoting breast cancer care in Africa. In addition, it also examines the principle of development communication in promoting sustainable health development. Against the backdrop of agenda setting theory and development media theory, which moves that media should focus on the audience needs, the paper draws attention to the various pathways in promoting breast cancer care among women in African countries. In conclusion, it was advocated that there was dire need for development journalism to serve as a health communication to promote breast cancer care among women in Africa and the wider world

Women’s political invisibility in Nigeria and need for Deliberate media agenda

Equitable and balanced reporting is crucial to the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, especially when gender issues are involved. But over the years, advocacy groups have complained of lack of exposure of female politicians, claiming that only their male counterparts get the requisite media coverage. This study examines the claim by studying how well Nigerian newspapers reported women’s participation in 2011 general elections. Contents of two Nigerian daily newspapers (The Punch and The Guardian) were studied over nine months from December, 2010 to August, 2011. Assertion of lack of exposure is proved with only 13 per cent of stories on politics devoted to women. Besides that, 90 per cent of stories on women were published inside the pages. This may not be unconnected with the general problem of women’s invisibility in Nigerian society where the female gender is considered less imperative than male and as such cannot take advantage of several socio-political and economic opportunities. Deliberate media agenda for women offers a possible solution to this challenge. Keywords: Assessment, Elections, Newspapers, Nigeria, Participation, Politics, Visibility, Women