Masters Theses

Date of Award

3-1984

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Communication

Major Professor

Paul G. Ashdown

Committee Members

Herbert H. Howard, Robert C. Maddox

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide a historical analysis of broadcasting autonomy in Nigeria from 1932-82. Broadcasting autonomy was defined as the degree of the freedom of action enjoyed by a public or private broadcasting organization in its interaction with the government. The interpretations of this analysis were intended as aids both to the historian and to the designers of current and future Nigerian broadcasting laws. It was believed that the past could be used as a guide in creating and evaluating the relationships, current and future, of government with the broadcast media. Of particular importance was the influence of the political, economic, and social environment on the degree of freedom granted the broadcasting organizations by each government.

A review of the important events and literature pertinent to the understanding of Nigerian broadcasting was conducted. Primary documents gathered from the Federal Ministry of Information, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, and some Nigerian publications provided the foundation for an objective interpretation of the practice of broadcasting autonomy. Informal interviews with the personnel of Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation and the Federal Ministry of Justice were conducted in order to put facts into perspective.

It was found that the British laid the foundation for Nigerian broadcasting system. While the British Broadcasting Corporation structure might not have been the best for Nigeria, the British colonial rule seemed to have offered the greatest degree of freedom to the operations of broadcasting. The Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in the postcolonial era of the early 1960s failed to integrate the potentials of broadcasting to serve the common purpose of the Nigerian populace because of the socio-political environment in which it existed. Al though the military governments in some instances did not directly control broadcasting operations, the broadcasting organizations knew how far they could go in their conflicts with the decrees of the govern ments. Today, partisan-politics, a by-product of ethno-tribal attachments, seems to be the determining factor in the nature of control of the broadcast media. In light of the data, it was concluded that the lack of a common broadcasting language is the most significant social factor that may affect the future degree of freedom granted the broad cast media. A series of recommendations, including that of the establishment of private stations, was presented to outline ways in which the broadcasting organizations and the future governments could relate under the ideals of democracy.

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