CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTORY ASPECT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0     Introduction

          This study focuses on rural communication in Radio Bayelsa State and access to information for development.

          In this chapter, background to the study are presented, Statement of problem, Purpose of the study, its Significance, Scope of the study, Limitations of the study, Research questions and as well as Definition of key terms.

1.1     Background to the Study

          Most of the rural people live in drab poverty. They have less of everything except their children compared to their urban counterparts. They have low literacy, inadequate health care facilities, transportation, communication and other social services. A good number of their children die as a result of malnutrition and lack of health care. The poverty that restricts their material goods also curtails their store of information in amount and in quantity. They tend to get by passed by information coming from both external and conventional sources.

          The rural dwellers operate within a tight but known economic limit. They normally do not go out of their way to seek for new information. They often prefer to stay with old practices, which limit their production income or capital.

With this kind of scenario, there is need for information flow to help develop the rural people.

          True development has to be people oriented. It has to be directed at the fulfillment of human potentials and the improvement of the social and economic well being of the people. Its objectives must be to end poverty, provide productive employments and satisfy the basic needs of the people. The basic goods and services such as food and Sheller, basic education and health facilities and portable water must be accessible to all.

          Access to information is the first and crucial step for development to take place in the rural areas. This is because humans live in groups and interact in social processes through which information, knowledge and ideas are exchanged. The application of such knowledge is what brings about the development of society.

          Nigeria, as a developing nation is blessed with abundant human and natural resources, which are yet to be explored. The majority of Nigeria population as with most developing nations are rural dwellers and live in the rural areas where modern means of communication facilities and infrastructures are not available ‘The only common medium through which information can be passed on to those in rural areas for development is radio broadcast.

          The radio as a mass communication medium is advantageous to other media. The radio is not limited by illiteracy and poverty. This is because programmes on radio can be packaged in local languages, thereby breaking the barriers of illiteracy. Radio is also cheap and affordable by an average person. The radio can be operated with dry cell batteries where there is no electricity.

          The radio transmission cuts across boundaries to get to those in remote areas. Also physical transportation of substances are absent making it less expensive and less cumbersome in getting to the rural people.

          The use of indigenous languages, especially in programmes targeted at achieving results can go a long way in impacting directly on the lives of the people resulting to the development of the people.

1.2     Statement of Problem

          Lack or inadequate information can affect the development of the society. The level of awareness of individuals in a place can determine the degree of development of that place. In a place where the people do not have access to modern means of communication development will be impeded. A nation or a place can only be developed when the individuals of the place have access to means of information.

          There is a great difference in the level of development between those who live in the city with modern means of communication and those who are living in rural areas where there are not modern means of communication. The difference is as a result of awareness individuals in their surroundings and even outside their surroundings.

          The radio is the only medium in communicating to those in rural areas because of its uniqueness. The radio cuts across boundaries hr getting to those in remote areas.

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The objectives of this study are to:

1.     Find out whether people in rural area of Bayelsa have access to radio information.

2.     Find out how often people in rural area listen to           radio.

3.     Find out how much has radio contributed to the development of the community.

4.     Find out how much impact radio has in the life of the people in the rural area.

5.       Find out if there are programmes targeted at the rural people.

1.4     Research Questions

The following are the research questions.

1.       How people in rural areas of Bayelsa State have access to radio information?

2.       How often do the rural people listen to radio?

3.       How much has radio contributed to the development of the community.

4.       How much impact does radio has in the lives of the people in the rural areas?

5.       Do people in rural area of Bayelsa State has any programme on radio     targeted at them?

1.5     Significance of the Study

          The researcher enumerates how radio is of immense source of information for the development of the rural people and how this medium can be made accessible to the people in the rural areas. It is also of use to the government to access how radio can be used to achieve development in rural areas.

1.6     Scope of the Study

          This research work does not cover all the towns of Sagbama Local Government Area. It limited to only Kabiama, Dagama Gbene and Agoro.

1.7     Limitation of the Study

          Most respondents could not understand the intricacies of the issue, thus it was difficult to extract precise data.

1.8     Operational Definition of Terms

          This part of the study attempts a definition of the major terms appearing in the context. Words might mean different things to different people depending on how, when and where it is used. The following variables will be defined;

i.        Communication

ii.       Radio

iii.      Rural Development

iv.      Development

v.       Access to Information

1.       Communication: The process of transferring or transmitting messages from     one person to the other.

2.       Radio: Is one of the mass media channel of         communication use to reach           heterogeneous audience.

3.       Rural Development: Undeveloped community that are going through a   process of change or advancement for the better.

4.       Development: Is an ongoing process of change to achieve a positive result.

5.       Access to Information: Means having free wheel of doing something. It can      also be the freedom of having something or receiving massage.