LANGUAGE PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA BROADCAST MEDIA

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.

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SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS AND PROLIFERATION OF OKADA-RIDING OCCUPATION IN ILORIN METROPOLIS CH

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

            Human being created with the nature of engaging in one economic activities or the other, the specific economic activities that an individual engages in for the purpose of making a living is technically referred to as occupation. The concept of occupation is very important and central to general human livelihood. This is so because occupation determines a lot about the general socio-economic characteristics of an individual. Without mincing word, it has been generally observed that occupation is an important living and survival factors. As a result of its importance and relevance in human lives, the topic has been one of the major concepts that have attracted the concerns of philosophers and scholars overtime.

            From the sociological point of view, occupation has largely been seen as a social element, this is as it is conceived among the sociologists that occupation is a social construction and that other dynamics and realities relating to it are largely social issues. As a result of this observation, sociologist since a very longtime has put vested interest in the discussions of issues relating to human occupation in terms of how it is been socially constituted, its nature, its causes and its social consequences. For example, Emile Durkheim in his book, ‘Division of Labour in the society’ discussed the reality of occupation in terms of its importance to the general survival of the society. Similarly, the work of Karl Marx also revealed other dynamics of occupation in terms of how occupational type results into social class formation and social conflict in human society. Max Weber in his analysis observed that it is not only that social values influence choice of occupation but also influence peoples behavioural dynamics in the chosen occupation.

            Following the views, ideas and observation of these classical scholars, later sociologists have expended lots of time and precious intellectual resources to examine different sociological dimensions through which the term occupation could be examined and understood. The vested interest in the sociological dynamics of education became more prominent with the advent of industrialization and the emergence of a special area of study referred to as industrial sociology. In all of these works, it has been unequivocally observed that sociological elements play prominent influence on the general dynamics of the concept of occupation. To this extent, sociological search lights have been beamed on the various sociological factors influencing occupational choice among the people in the society.

            According to Fidler & Fidler (2016), choice of occupation could be largely influenced by micro elements such as the individual's sensory motor, cognitive, psychological, and social maturation along with his or her developmental needs and skill readiness. In the view of The founders and early pioneers in occupational therapy, it is conceived that an essential part of human nature that is manifested by active participation in self-maintenance, work, leisure, play, and rest conditioned occupational choice (Meyer, 2016).  Others are of the view that people chose a particular work type due to due to the basic physiological survival and a sense of belonging and human self-actualization inherent in the occupation Still, many join a particular occupational field due to the fact that such occupation serves as the mechanism for growth, adaptation, and learning and for effective interactions with the internal and external environments (Kleinman&Bulkley, 2015). Occupation is the primary agent for learning and development and an essential source of satisfaction (Highto'l-ver-Vandamm, 2016). Skills and capacities emerge from lifelong experiences that provide structure and challenge for further exploration, adaptation, and mastery.

            A general glance at many of existing studies on sociological elements influencing choice of occupation in human society, it would be observed that many of these existing studies focused majorly on the formal work setting with gross neglect of the informal work settings. However, research efforts have shown that the informal work setting dominates many countries of the world today. This is especially so in a country like Nigeria where it has been revealed that the informal work setting occupied as much as 70% of the entire workforce in the country (Afolabi, 2013). Similarly, the rate and ways in which people engage in ‘okada’ riding in the Nigerian society today calls for academic/intellectual concerns, this is so because ‘okada’ riding has been seen as the ideal occupation for many and the indiscriminate involvement of the people in this occupation has led to series of social socio-economic consequences. Furthermore, of many studies on sociological dynamics of specific occupational types, there have not been much sociological studies that have examined the socio-economic elements as the possible factor influencing the choice of okada riding as occupation among the people. Inferring from the background given so far, it is pertinent to initiate an academic empirical research effort to examine the socio-economic factors as determinants for choosing okada riding as occupation.  Even though researchers have examined socio-economic elements as determinants for choice of occupation, the researcher is of the view that the level at which people venture into Okada riding in society is a thing that requires academic attention. It is from this background that the researcher conceived the desirability to conduct this study.

Statement of Research Problem

            Poverty is a negative social reality that is largely caused by negative social factors and as such has been one of the major interests of social thinkers especially sociologists over the years. In addition, the problems of victimization and dehumanization brought about by poverty on human has made poverty one of the major issues been given political attention by different governments all over the world. The general interest has been on examining and understanding different dynamics of poverty in terms of its nature, what causes it, its effects and some possible ways and means through which the challenges of poverty could be solved among humanity. Generally, it has been agreed by all and sundry that one of the yardsticks for measuring poverty level in any society is the occupational distribution of its population. In other words, the kind of work engaged in by a person goes a long way in measuring the poverty condition of such individual. Thus, it could be right to say that Okada riding is a derogatory occupation whose proliferation implied increased level of poverty in a society.

            It should be noted that proliferation of Okada riding in a society is not only caused by negative social factors, it is also a reflection of breakdown of economic institution of a society in the 21^st century. In addition, many a time, the effort of the people to use engaging in Okada riding to solve their economic problems sometimes amount to more poverty and economic deprivation as many Okada riders involve in different levels of accident which will further imply negatively on their general livelihoods. To this extent, proliferation of Okada riding has resulted in several negative consequences for those who engage in it. In the view of some observers, although many has regarded Okada riding occupation as a poverty alleviation in the sense that it provides an informal economic engagement for the people but a critical look at the occupation would reveal that the occupation is involved in by marginal people but also it elevates their poverty level instead of alleviating it.

            In Nigeria today, it is a common scene to see politicians claiming economic empowerment through the distribution of Machines (Okada) to the people with the sole aim of alleviating their poverty condition or to solve the problems of unemployment(Ogbuiji, 2016).  It must be mentioned that such efforts cannot be regarded as true economic empowerment as the empowerment sometimes leads further impoverishing the empowered individuals. This could be the reason why there seems to be some laxity in the nation’s attitude towards solving the problems of poverty, thereby making it look as if there is little or no assurance that the issue of poverty in the country can be solved in the near future. A look at some government programmes, designed to address the issue of poverty have not lived up to the aspirations of the people because they were undertaken without sufficient attention to their economic viability and sustainability. Based on the above observed social problems related to involving in Okada riding as an occupation, it is pertinent to conduct an empirical study to examine the socio-economic factors that propel people to engage in Okada riding.

Research Questions

This study is interested in providing answer to the following questions:

        i.            What is the socio-economic characteristic of Okada riders in Ilorin metropolis?

      ii.            What is the level of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis?

    iii.            Does the socio-economic feature of the people have significant effect on the proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis?

Research Objectives

            The general objective of this study is to examine the relationship between socio-economic factors and the proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis. The specific objectives are to:

        i.            examine the socio-economic characteristics of Okada riders in Ilorin metropolis,

      ii.            assess the level of proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis and

    iii.            ascertain whether socio-economic characteristics of the people have significant effect on the proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis.

Hypotheses of the Study

            Based on the general objectives of this study, the following null hypotheses were raised to achieve the study objectives

H0_i:     Lack of conducive work environment does not have significant effect on the decision to   engage in Okada riding as an occupation

H0_ii:      Educational background of Okada riders does not have significant effect on his decision to engage in Okada riding as an occupation

H0_iii:    non-availability of alternative economic engagements does not have significant influence  on the decision to engage in Okada riding as an occupation

H0i_v:    Peer factor of Okada riders does not have significant effect on his decision to engage in    Okada riding as an occupation

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THE IMPACT OF CUSTOMER RELATIONS ON CORPORATE PERFORMANCE: A SURVEY OF SELECTED DEPOSIT MONEY BANKS IN NIGERIA.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1              Background to the Study

In every economy, the Banking Industry plays very vital roles in the financial system and therefore is a crucial agent of the developmental process in the economy. Banks in their capacity as financial intermediaries channeled savings and investment from the surplus units to the deficit units thereby increasing the volume of national savings and investment and consequently, the national output. The organic growth of the Nigerian financial sector between independence in 1960 and the era of Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) in 1986 was indeed remarkable (Central Bank of Nigeria, 2011). The growth in the number and variety of financial institutions as well as the financial instruments and operations during this period attest to the relevance of the sector in national economic development. The structural readjustment in the financial sector which commenced in 1986 was directed towards enhancing the banks’ efficiency through increased competition, strengthened supervisory role of the Regulatory Authorities and streamlined public sector relationship with financial sector. This since the early 90’s, the phenomenon growth of the Banking Industry in Nigeria following the deregulation of the industry has generated interest and enthusiasm amongst top notch stakeholders and institutions in the industry, stressing the urgent need for strategic decisions (Wodi, 2010).

Prior to the liberalization of the Nigerian financial system, there was a clear-cut distinction between Merchant and Commercial Banks. However, at the turn of the new millennium and as a result of liberalization, these distinctions were removed by the Central Bank of Nigeria to create a level playing field in the industry; endorsing the concept of Universal Banking in all its ramifications, setting the stage for all players to develop niche areas where they were most efficient in the context of the philosophy of guiding deregulation (Central Bank of Nigeria, 2002). Most  significantly in 2002, the Central Bank of Nigeria dismantled the divide between commercial and investment banking  via the full introduction of Universal Banking; a culmination of a process commenced two years earlier with the Government’s approval of the conversion of Merchant to Commercial Banks. Universal Banking further heightened the competitive pressure in the banking sector with more merchant banks venturing into retail banking and subjecting operating margins to severe stress. This factor along with the new commercial banks that were licensed and the rapid branch expansion by operators in the system re-echoed the needs for banks to create more value-added services that would guarantee some competitive leverage. Thus, banks with a view of survival can no longer on their “efficient personnel” solely but must synchronize personnel capabilities with appropriate systems  and structures in order to wade the storm of competition, survive the tide of changing customer needs and take advantage of emerging technology; shifting several old economy business practices towards organizing by customer segment rather than by products, focusing on customer lifetime value instead of transactions alone, focusing on stakeholders and not only shareholders getting “all hands on deck” while building products and services acquisitions, retention and satisfaction (Ogunleye, 2012).

Popularized during the “internet Gold Rush” in the mid ‘90s’ Customer Relations (CRs) suggest on overall shift from product-based marketing to a customer focused approach; rather than “out of box” software which can be effectively used with little or no customization (American Marketing Association, 201    

1.2       Statement of Research Problem

Customer Relations are critical to organizational survival in the 21^st century. Any organization that wants to stand the “test of time” has to take CRs very serious, knowing fully that organizations are established in order to satisfy people and those they wish to satisfy must be given a pride of place in the scope of the organization. But many organizations still take it with levity and this accounted for many banks closure leading to increase in unemployment rate and

shareholders resources are wasted thereby discouraging further investment by the stakeholders (Levitt, 2010). Also, Kolter (2012) argued that building customer loyalty requires organizations to build effective Customer Relations in order to stand the fierce competition in the industry. Hence, the importance of CRs should be emphasized for the survival of the organization and the growth of the economy.  

1.3       Research Questions

In the light of the research problem, and in the course of this study, the following questions are expected to serve as a guide to achieve the purpose of the study.

i.        What is the extent at which Customer Relations enhance corporate performance in Nigeria?

ii.      What is the extent at which Customer Relations guaranteed customer satisfaction?

iii.    What is the level of increase in profitability in the banking industry with the introduction of Customer Relations?

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