PROPOSAL/CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Ojo community is a small community located in Egbedore local government
area of Osun State. The population is about 5,000, the adult among them are
mostly subsistence farmers and petty traders. They do not have an organized
market so they always carry their products to their neighbouring villages where
the markets functions once in every four days. They do not have factories or
any other establishment that can get people employed, and for this reason, most
of the youths migrate to the cities in search of better life and greener
pastures.
This situation leaves the community void of the youths who are
supposed to build it for greater tomorrow. What really prompted the researcher
to embark on this study is that, since the inception of this community till
today, things have remained the same. Everything has been static in terms of
development. And what does development mean? According to Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary, “a developed country or area is a place that has a highly
organized economy and political system”. On the other hand, a developed area is
an area or a place where the majority of its populace are enlightened and there
is good infrastructural facility such as good roads, portable water,
electricity, good health care, nice residential houses as well as factories
that can offer employment to people and where the people can fend for
themselves. “Information is raw material for development for both the
urban and the rural dwellers”.
This was said by Yahya Ibrahim Harande. Thinking about this
statement, the researcher wonders why Ojo community is not developing even with
the huge number of radio stations and other media houses we have in Nigeria
today, and these radio stations give out information on daily bases. Brooding
over this situation, she noticed that most of the radio stations and other
media houses in Nigeria do not plan their programmes infevour of the rural
communities, they focus more on the urban areas. Could it be that these media
establishment’s owners and their workers do not know that without the
development of our rural communities that Nigeria will never become fully
developed? Yahya also noted that “The development of countries globally cannot
be achieved without the development of the rural communities”. For this reason,
the researcher solicit with the media mostly the radio because of its far
reaching capacity to put more effort in their pursuit to bring development to
our communities.
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM
It can now be, said here that the phenomenon which has occurred
and which is still occurring is the fact that Ojo Community has remained static
in terms of development since it came into existence. It is also known that
there are some other communities in Nigeria which are not developed, just like
Ojo, at this jet age when even the smaller countries around us are boasting of
continuous supply of electricity. The researcher does not want this phenomenon
to continue to occurred and that is why she has caring out this research. So
far, she has found out that the radio stations in Nigeria focus more on the
urban areas than the rural communities. This has kept Ojo and most other
communities in Nigeria far from being developed. The adverse effect of this is
that most of the youths in Ojo have migrated to the cities in search of greener
pastures which are no longer easy to find in those cities because they have
been over populated. This makes some of the youths just roam about the cities,
and sometimes, they turn out to become armed robbers. Again, the people that
remain in the community do not also find it easy because of the monotonous life
they live there. There is little or no activities to entertain them. And most
of the community people who live outside the community are scared to travel
home. Also, farm produce in the community do not yield well because the farmers
do not have the means of learning how to make use of the modern farming
implements and other things like fertilizer. To add to the fact that the
traders among them have no means to advertise their products. These are just
some of the problem facing Ojo community and the radio will go a long way to
bring these problem to an end if they carry out their role in this community,
properly.
1.3 PURPOSES OR OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the purpose of this study: To find out whether
the radio can be used in the development of our communities. To determine the
method to be used by the radio in order to bring about a quick and effective
development of Ojo community. To identify the vice that associate with
undeveloped community. To find out the benefits of having developed
communities. To examine the factors that may militate against the radio in their
effort to help develop our communities.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The immediate people affected by the problem are the people of Ojo
community and for this, they will benefit first as the research will be carried
out on them, the people will become enlightened and vice will be reduced in the
area. Other undeveloped communities in Nigeria will also benefit because as
they may have similar problem, with Ojo, the same process will be used in
solving the problem. Again, the mass media mostly the radio station will
benefit because there will be smooth and easy flow of information round the
country even to the most interior parts.
The cities in Nigeria will gain because congestion of people in
those places will be reduced and crime will be reduced, also. Above all,
Nigeria as a whole will benefit because the economy will improve as most people
will go back to their communities and get themselves employed to yield more
revenue for the country.
1.5 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The following questions are the questions that will guide the
researcher in the search for the solution to her research problem: What
are the role of the radio in community development. What are the method to be
used by the radio to facilitate the effective development of Ojo community?
What are the consequences of undeveloped communities? What are the hindrances
that the radio may encounter in their effort to develop our communities?
1.6 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES
The following statements will provide some guide for the study:
H1 The radio can be used to develop our
communities.
H0 The radio cannot be used to develop our
communities.
H1 The use of the local dialect by the
radio can facilitate the development of our communities.
H0 The use of the local dialect by the radio
cannot facilitate the development of our communities.
H1: The development of Ojo community will
provide employment for the rural dwellers.
H0: The development of Ojo community will
not provide employment for the rural dwellers.
1.7
DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Words or terms are defined in their conceptual
and operational meaning.The conceptual meaning of words means the way the
writer wants the reader to understand the word as it is used in the write-up
while the operational meaning of any word means the universal accepted meaning
of the word. As the topic of this research is “The Role of Radio in Community
Development,” the conceptual and the operational meaning of the words are as
follows:
Operational meaning Role Radio: An apparatus use
for the dissemination of information.
Community: Group or people that live in a particular area.
Development: The gradual growth of a place so that it will become
more advanced and stronger.
Conceptual
meaning:
Role: (involvement); the rate at which the
radio is supposed to get involved in the activities of our community to help it
develop.
Radio: The process of sending information to a
large number of people through an electromagnetic wave. Community: Group of
unenlightened and uneducated people that live together in a village.
Development: The process of making the
uneducated and unenlightened people become enlightened and learn to use their
area of land and other possessions of theirs to make profit and be useful to
themselves and the society at large.
1.8 ASSUMPTION OF THE STUDY
It is assumed that the radio do not focus well on our rural
communities. They do not explain the media message to them in the way that they
will understand and radio houses are not within the reach of our rural
communities like Ojo.
1.9 SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study is meant to cover only Ojo community of Egbedore Local
Government Area, to find out how the Radio can be used to bring development to
the area.
