THE IMPACT OF RADIO ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (A STUDY OF IPOKIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
It is a known fact that development is a important aspect of a nation building. It is an issue that is not as news as the way it is seen today. According to Adeosun et al. (2013), development is a systematic process of positive transformation and elevation of socio-economic, cultural and political structures from bad situation to good, from good to better and from better to best situation. Succinct to this view, Mohammed (2016) assert that Sustainable development has ever been taken as the most excellent solution for the major problems of Third World countries, like Ethiopia, including poverty and poverty related problems such as backwardness, hunger, diseases, injustice and exploitation.
In Kamar, Lawal, Babangida and Jahun (2014), development is a necessary aspect of societies, indeed any society without development could be said to be static. Hence all societies are dynamic. Development is seen as qualitative improvement in all societies and in all groups of individuals within societies. He asserts that all men must surely have enough goods in order to be men and to develop themselves. As defined earlier, development is creating the condition for the realization of human personality. Development has to be marked with reduction in poverty, unemployment and inequality a high level of nutrition, high health standard, low infant mortality rate etc. From above definitions of development, it can be deduced that development is virtually changing the life of an individual, group of people or community in terms of social amenities, such as good health, good road, adequate and clean water, education etc.
Abubakar (2015) see development as “a multidimensional process that involves change in social structures, attitudes, institutions, economic growth, reduction of inequality, and the eradication of poverty”. In the past, development meant the poor countries imitating the ‘developed west’, and abandoning ‘traditional’, ‘barbaric’ or ‘uncivilized’ technologies and cultures in favour of the ‘modern’ Later scholars coined the term ‘development’, which calls for satisfaction of needs, indigenous self-reliance, participatory democracy and life in harmony with the environment – now popularly known as sustainable development.
Rural development has scope that is broad and elastic, and it depends on the interaction of many forces such as the objectives of the programme, the availability of resources for planning and implementation, etc. In developing countries, such as Nigeria, rural development projects will include agricultural set-up projects, rural water supply projects, rural electrification projects, rural feeder-road and maintenance projects, rural health and disease control projects, rural education and Adult education campaign, rural telecommunication system, and rural industrialization.
Moreover, Ibanga (2016) quoted the United Nations definition of rural development as that practice of coming together by Persons in the community to undertake group action and proffer common resolutions to challenges and difficulties facing the community. It constitute the action taken by community leaders, advocates, concern citizens and experts to elevate the standard of life in the community with a view to building a stronger and improved local communities. The process of community development is to foster both social and economic development for the entire people in the community through the community’s active involvement and full initiative.
Generally, development is seen as