LANGUAGE PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA
BROADCAST MEDIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Background to the
Study
This study focuses on the
relationship between language and communication, how language can aid or
destroy communication and cases of misuse of language in the Nigeria broadcast
media.
Communication is the sharing of
experiences, ideas, thoughts, beliefs and notions that represents life.
Language as a tool of exchanging idea and sharing of experience perfects
communication and its importance cannot be overemphasized. Okunma (1996, p. 126)
sees communication as a complex process of sharing information or a message
which requires certain basic components. It is essential to conclude that
communication is pervasive and a fundamental way by which human beings interact
through language and other symbolic means.
In Nigeria today, many people
believe in listening to, and watching electronic media but they do not really
believe in the message that is being passed across. This is because in most
programmes, the presenters do not pass meaningful messages to their audience,
most of their programmes are for fun and enjoyment. Due to this, it is not
interesting to the audience.
Language use is very important in
the field of communication, without language, we cannot understand the message
properly. In Nigeria broadcast media, language has not been properly treated or
used accordingly. Most presenters do make the mistake of using different words
especially in indigenous programmes. A very few of them can speak indigenous
languages throughout their programmes without co-mixing or switching into
English language. This habit always creates confusion among the listeners and
it leads to the loss of the content of the message being passed across.
For instance, use of the English
language during a Yoruba programme may lead to misconception of the content by
the listener. As Pearson et al (2003, p. 4) explains that“language used in a
specialized way may be an obstacle to communication and it may add beauty to
the understanding of the message. Hence, effective communication require
concerted effort on the part of the message encoder, the appropriate choice of
words, correct contextual application and simplicity”, as Scanell (1991, p. 46)
points out that “communicators must affiliate to the situation of their audience
and align their behaviour with those circumstances.”
1.1 Language Problem in
Nigeria and its Effects on Broadcast Media
There is no gainsaying that people
use language to enhance communication. At times, someone would say something
and people would give different meanings to it, whereas communication is
regarded as complete and whole; hence the response provided by the receiver is
equal to the intention of the sender.
The English language became the
official language of Nigeria media through the colonial masters who found it
convenient to administer the country with it when Nigeria has over four hundred
languages. English language was used as the language of transmission and it
often hindered the understanding of the message and led to public rage. According
to an online newspaper ‘Nairaland’ (2014), three radio presenters on Wazobia FM
Kano were arrested and charged to court for using unsavory language on the
activities of immunization officials in the state which the prosecutor said
must have incited the Boko Haram sect members to kill nine immunization
officers.
Nigeria Broadcasting Commission
(NBC) as a regulator has actually not done enough to critically scrutinize
language use in the media. The organization has concerned itself with license
granting and frequency allocations. Although, it has a code of conduct for
broadcasting organizations but the enforcement of the document has always been
on suspense. Vulgar and obscene languages are freely used on Nigeria broadcast
organization contrary to section 4-2-2 of the NBC code.
1.2 Mass Media in
Nigeria
Mass media in Nigeria predates
Nigeria as a geo-political entity, dating back to 1859 when Reverend Henry
Townsend published the first newspaper IweIroyin. Since then, the
Nigeria mass media have been growing rapidly.
Electronic media in Nigeria has a
long history in comparison to other African nations. The history of radio
broadcasting in Nigeria dates back to the year 1932 when the British colonial
administration in Lagos relayed the first British Empire service to Nigerians
from Daventry, England. Radio broadcasting in Nigeria began in 1932 with the
introduction of wire broadcasting popularly known as Radio Distribution service
(RDS). Under this form, programmes were relayed or distributed using wires
connected to loud speakers installed in the homes of subscribers who had paid a
small subscription fee for this system and were also provided with a make shift
and home apparatus. Uche (1989, p. 145).
In 1948, the colonial office directed
the BBC to undertake a survey of broadcasting in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone
and Gambia and to make recommendations for a fast establishment of effective
broadcasting services. In 1959, Chief ObafemiAwolowo established Western
Nigerian Television and renamed Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNBS) in
May, 1960 and reached Northern region in 1962.
In October 1960, Dr. MichealOkpara
followed the pace set by ObafemiAwolowo and established Nigeria’s second
television station in Enugu known as the East Nigeria Television and Sir Ahmadu
Bello on March 15, 1962, established the Radio Television Kaduna and later
renamed Broadcasting Corporation of Northern Nigeria (BCNN). The Federal
government did not own television station until April 1962, with the
promulgation of Decree No. 38, which authorized that National Broadcasting
Commission (NBC) should issue licenses for private radio and television
broadcasting in Nigeria that saw the establishment of Raypower FM and African
Independent Television as the television channel, Muri International
Television, Galaxy Television to mention a few.
In 2003, Professor Jerry Gana noted
that, there was the need for more government radio and television stations in
Nigeria. About 67 new NTA stations and FRCN stations were established in
different parts of Nigeria as a result of his observation during Obasanjo’s
administration.
1.3 Statement of the
Research Problem
Communication with the appropriate
language is always an issue in the electronic media which has caused a lot of
misconception among the listeners and viewers. In fact, many people have seen
the use of indigenous language in broadcast media as primitive and uncivilized.
Indeed, the palpable threat of the extinction of indigenous languages due to
wider acceptance of foreign language is a serious challenge in Nigeria, and the
broadcast media is no exception in this situation.
Therefore, this work is set to look
at the problems of language use in media broadcast in some selected media
houses in Ilorin as case study.
1.4 Objective of the
Study
This project focuses on enlightening
the media practitioners on the benefit of using indigenous languages on their
programmes especially the electronic media (radio and television). It also aims
at promoting the use of local languages for broadcasting on radio and
television.
Also, to orientate the society about
the importance of their local language as a means of communication to them on
radio and the need to show-case their culture on television.
To
download the complete project go here
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