Statement of the Problem

1.2     Statement of the Problem

          Statistics suggests that numerous money consuming programmes have been designed and executed by various governments that have ruled any country, everything aimed at bettering the lots of ruralities. Every government that comes to power would present fuselage of  strategies and plan to how it would change the lives of rural people within the first year of its assumption of office. For those who can read and understand the newspaper pages are always full of messages unraveling the thought of the government about those living in rural areas to those who can afford the cost of television screen always feature speeches from those at the helm of affairs on their plans to bring modernism into rural areas of the government. All these are done bearing in mind that more than eight percent (80%) of the country’s population live in rural areas. But irrespective of the fact that this effort has been made by various government, the problems of the rural people still remain unrelated. They still suffer unfold hardship under the bondage of abject poverty. The rural setting still craw belly wise with underdevelopment. Their environment still remains underdeveloped. It is against this premise that the researcher seeks to know the aspect of communication system that is relegated to the background and treated with levity. Not much has been done to bring to a limelight the importance of traditional communication in bringing about rural development.

                                                                                                        

1.3     Objectives of the Study

The following are the objectives of the study:

i.                   To ascertain the various forms of traditional communication systems in Kabalari.

ii.                 Determine the effectiveness of these traditional communication system in rural development.

iii.              Determine whether the people of Kalabari prefer traditional modes of communication to modern modes of communication.

iv.              Find out how the people of Kalabari respond to the traditional messages been passed to them.

1.4     Research Questions

                              i.            What are the various forms of traditional communication systems in Kalabari?

                            ii.            How effective are traditional communication system in rural development of Kalabari?

                         iii.            Do the people of Kalabari prefer traditional modes of communication to modern modes of communication?

                         iv.            How do people of Kalabari respond to the traditional message been passed to them?

1.5     Significance of the Study

          The outcome of the study will be beneficial to the government because it will help them to know the communication systems that will help develop the rural areas. It will be immense to the entire community as it will expose them to the modes of communication that will suit them. The study will also benefit the agencies that is communication agencies in knowing the suitable avenue to communicate its messages to the rural communities. The outcome of the study will also serve as reference materials for future researchers.

1.6     Scope of the Study

          This study deals with Kalabari traditional communication system and its impact in community development. Therefore, the scope of this study is Kalabari communities of Rivers State.

1.7     Limitations of the Study

          This study suffered some constraints. One of such constraints is high level of illiteracy of the respondents. Many of the supposed respondent are illiterates. Therefore, do not understand and appreciate the importance of this study. This has affected their disposition towards the study. In like manner, some of the respondents demand for gratification before giving out vita information relating to the study, which is quite unusual. Again, the attitude of the communication experts towards disseminating information on traditional communication is quite heartbreaking. One would have thought, as educated personnels they would have cooperated optimally but reverse was the case at Kalabari communities. However, these constraints did not in anyway limit the content of this study.

1.8     Operational definition of terms

          The following terms is defined for easy understanding of the study:

i.                   Traditional communication system: Traditional communication system are those forms or channel through which members of traditional societies share information, ideas and attitudes that can help the means of such groups to solve their problems.

ii.                 Rural Development: Rural development is a dialectical participator and people oriented process that involves mobilization and integration of human material, information and other resources.

iii.              Community Development: Community development is the development of a particular people interms of language religion and other cultural values.

iv.              Communication: Communication is the acts of transmitting messages to channels which link people, to the languages and symbolic codes which are used to transmit messages.