THE EVOLUTION OF AN EGALITARIAN MASS MEDIA IN NIGERIA: PERSPECTIVES AND CHALLENGES
Authors:
Nasir Danladi Bako
Abstract:
Mass media as a catalyst for development has always been a major research and analysis topic, essentially because scholars of various disciplines are in unison on the efficacy of the platforms it provides, as instruments of advocacy, information dissemination, accountability and defense of civil and human rights. This study examined the changing face of the mass media, its evolving rules of engagement and the strategic growth of the electronic media in urbanization, democratization and utilization in the electoral, environmental and healthcare modernization process. The rules and modus operandi in the last two decades tended to change with the deregulation of the broadcast media in Nigeria following in the footsteps of the print media which allowed private ownership since pre-colonial days. Sequel to these developments, the mass media as a tool for democratization, liberalization and electoral independence of the citizens has resulted in more awareness, more access to information on voters’ rights, health care, and economic opportunities. This paper examined the evolution of today’s mass media, its regulatory options and influence on the power dynamics, electoral fortunes and the achievement of a higher gross national product. This paper determined that there has been a paradigm shift from the era of the top-down “silver bullet” theory to today’s horizontal participatory platforms due to a the conscious policy-driven effort to engage and empower the citizenry and less privileged to participate in governance.