CHAPTER ONE
1.1 Background of the Study
The Mass Media made up of print and electronic play a huge role as veritable instruments of communication in every society. Radio as a medium is a tool for journalistic education, enlightenment, mobilization, culture propaganda and entertainment. Radio promotes economic development, stimulates political participation and arouses national consciousness and unity.
Radio was originally brought to Nigeria in 1932 by the British colonial government and was known as Radio Diffusion Service (RDS). It allowed the public to listen to programmes of British Broadcasting Corporation as foreign radio. In April 1952, RDS became the Nigerian broadcasting Service and introduced radio stations in Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, Ibadan and Kano. This service was upgraded to the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) in 1957 by an act of parliament. The NBC was designed to serve the communication needs of the people in the regions. In the same vein, the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON) was founded in 1933 to aid successful interaction of the broadcasting media in Nigeria. The organization is used as a rallying point for coverage of major national and international events.
Radio has the ability to serve both illiterate and literate people unlike the print media. Radio has played major roles in greasing the wheels of the country‟s political economy. It makes unbeatable contributions to the enhancement of the country‟s growth as exemplified in its massive political education, enlightenment, awareness, consciousness and provision offorafor discussion, debates and presentations. These functions were manifested during campaign towards the 2003 general elections. It therefore provided the electorate the opportunity to set the manifestos and programmes of political parties with a view to helping them make mature choices during the elections. The mass media are organized means of communication designed to reach large numbers of people without the necessity of personal contact. Radio is regarded as the guardian of the public that examines the political policy and programmes, educates the masses, motivates and mobilizes them for active participation in political programmes and activities. The mass media are indispensable to the political system in a democratic society. They constitute the fourth estate of the realm, independent, free and responsible to the Public. They create awareness in order for the citizens to know the problems and issues confronting the state and their possible solutions and consequences. They provide people with information they need and can stimulate them by presenting the ideas of others. The mass media should play a crucial role in nurturing and sustaining the success or failure of our practice of democratic government. To a large extent, their success depends on how well the mass media carry out their functions as the midwife of democracy.
In Nigeria, the mass media have become instruments of political transformation of the masses. According to Akpan (1987, p.22), media information has a tremendous energy for change. Change in this context refers to learning which manifests mostly where a good number of people are wallowing in ignorance. The media are needed for information to improve all aspects of life. In the political sphere, the electorate need media information to participate fully in elections and learn their obligation. Furthermore, Eze (1988) while presenting his article „‟Mass Media and Social Political Transformation‟‟, noted that the politics of any nation depends heavily on the mass media as platforms of articulating and marketing of ideas and issues on national problems to the people.
The study will therefore examine the contributions of Radio in mobilizing and galvanizing the people towards putting in place a stable and acceptable democratic government in Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.