1. 68 American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) ISSN (Print) 2313-4410, ISSN (Online) 2313-4402 © Global Society of Scientific Research and Researchers http://asrjetsjournal.org/ 2019 General Elections: Revisiting the Role of Mass Media in Crisis Resolution in Nigeria Sarafadeen Aderemi Adeagbo a* , Philip Olubunmi Ewuola b , Ayobami Lawal c , Peter Olayinka Awofadeju d a Department of Mass Communication, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State, Nigeria. 08030711653 b Department of Mass Communication, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State, Nigeria. 08060028200 c Department of Mass Communication, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State, Nigeria. 08033933362 d Department of Mass Communication, Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. 07032078695 a Email: aderemiadeagbo001@gmail.com , b Email: philipewuola@yahoo.com c Email: ayobamilawal56@gmail.com , d Email: awofadejuolayinka@yahoo.com Abstract Election is basically avenue where eligible members of the public are allowed to select or vote who will govern them. At times, the processes that guide this selection or voting remain smooth and perfect while in most cases they result into series of unimaginable crisis thereby led to fighting, burning of houses, cars and many other valuable properties and above all killing of one another. In a situation of this nature, media as fourth estate of the realm are expected not only to provide accurate and authoritative information about the whole thing but also to discharge their basic social responsibility of building an ideal society that is peaceful for all citizenry, since development triumph only in a peaceful society. This paper specifically examines in all ramifications; election, electoral process in Nigeria and the role of mass media toward having violence free electoral process. Empirically, this paper adopted survey method to gather resourceful data 200 respondents who were randomly selected among residents of Osun state, Nigeria. Social responsibility and peace journalism theories made a great impart with their assumptions that gave credence to this research work. At the end, analysis of data collected proved to the fact that men of pen profession have tremendous role to play in a peaceful democratic system and they must keep up this responsibility so as to keep our society in the path of peace in all our electoral processes in Nigeria. Keywords: Media; Crisis; Election; Crisis Resolution. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Corresponding author. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 69 1. Introduction Authors in [14] describe mass media as the organised means of communicating openly and at distance to many receivers within a short space of time. Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies , including the internet , television ,newspaper ,film and radio , which are used for mass communication , and to the organizations which control these technologies. Media refers here basically to several mediums or channels used in an organized fashion to communicate information to groups of people, as a service to the public. In the countries of the world, most especially those that have reached a high level of industrialization and those moving along the line of development, have realized that mass media of cinema, radio, television, newspaper and magazine have some key roles to play, not only on attaining political power, but act of transforming society for a better place for all and sundry. Author in [10] identifies six major functions of mass media as: public enlightenment, servicing the economic system, servicing the political system, safeguarding good liberty, profit making and providing entertainment. Author in [17] advocates seven major functions of mass media as; persuasion, information, news, entertainment and surveillance. Emphasizes is however on persuasion where member of the community need to be carried along in the policies of government vis-à-vis informing them happenings within and outside their environment. Media is believed to have been setting agenda for the public to follow as propounded by Authors in [11]. Individuals action depend on his/her frame of mind on any prevailing issue in the society. It is generally believed that no society exist without crisis or conflict. But media have been seen as inevitable agent of keeping a peaceful and better society. Media, however, perform this great task of maintaining a peaceful society by persuading member of the society to adopt certain action because adoption of such action will not only be beneficial to the parties involved in the crisis, but to the entire people living in that society. Developmental policies of the government to cushion the life of entire citizen will come into reality when there is peace. To realize this objective, the media do come-up with series of persuasive programmes, news, jingles, articles, cartoons and other elements of mass media to preach peace and harmony among the warring parties. Basically in Nigeria, one cannot but say all is not well considering the nature of the country in term of: population, ethnicity, religion, ideology, social, and economy, political and international perspective. According to Authors in [2, 3] Africa countries are beset with many challenges-social, political, cultural and economical development and transformation. Meanwhile, conflict is inevitable considering the nomenclature of Nigeria. Without mincing words, Nigeria media have come a long way in discharging the basic ethical standards. They don‟t just; inform, educate and entertain as their traditional functions required but also persuade entire citizens of the country to maintain peace and live together as one entity irrespective of differences. In the recent past General Elections in the country, the Nigeria, 1999,2003,2007,2011, and 2015, media did perform their roles diligently before, during and after the election. They [media] gave wider coverage of 2015 election to every nook and crannies of the nation. Even in 2011 general election ,when the situation turned violent and the foundational structure of the country became threatened as a result of numbers of life that were lost and un-estimated cost of property that went down the drain. Media, indeed, remained resolute and continued to advocate for peaceful co-existence among the politicians who have turned apart as a result of political ideology differences. Nigeria media have come a long way in giving vivid account of an event and they are actually striving to give their best irrespective of the nature of the situation and condition of their job. As serious and sensitive as the nature of their job, the Nigeria media due to their commitment discharge their American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 70 duty diligently by giving current, accurate and balance account of any event most especially elections in the country, Nigeria. Worthy of emphasis is the last presidential general election. The Nigeria media did their best and gave a wider coverage of the election. Apart from informing the public on the significant of exercising their franchise by casting their vote the moment they clock 18 year of age, the media equally educate them on the procedure and what is expected of them before, during and after the election. Besides these magnificent roles of the media, Nigeria media went at length to give account of what transpire during the post election violence that engulfed the country, Nigeria. Crisis is inevitable in a given society. Nigeria as part of a larger society witnessed political crisis in 2011 after presidential general election. This nearly turned Nigeria apart as entire nation was engulfed with protests, which later led to house burning, maiming and killing innocent people most especially in the northern parts of the country. This ugly development was actually a real concern to every citizen of this great country, Nigeria. 1.1 Objectives of the study i. To determine whether mass media contribute to political. ii. To examine the role of mass media in crisis resolution in Nigeria iii. To ascertain whether Nigeria publics see media as agent of conflict resolution iv. To determine whether mass media promote peaceful co – existence among major political participation in Nigeria v. To examine whether Nigeria political parties adhere to the crisis resolution programmes of the media. 1.2 Research Questions i. To what extent do media contributes to political system in Nigeria? ii. What role do mass media play in crisis resolution in Nigeria? iii. Do Nigeria publics see media as agent of crisis resolution? iv. To what extent do mass media promote peaceful co-existence among major political parties in Nigeria? v. Do Nigeria political parties adhered to the crisis resolution orientation programmes of Nigeria mass media? 2. Literature Review 2.1 Concept of Election Conducting free, fair and credible elections is of crucial significance in the substance of a viable democratic American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 71 system. The task of ensuring the conduct of credible elections is the collective of numerous stakeholders, which are the pillars upon which democracy stands. They include, but are not limited to election management bodies, political parties, the candidates, civil society groups, the law enforcement agencies and media. Among these pillars, the media stands tall, on account of its information dissemination role, its role in the promotion of democratic values and tenets and it being the watch dog of the electoral process. Reinforcing the media‟s role in the conduct of credible electrons occupies a prime position in any effort to deepen democracy in Nigeria. This involves facilitating its role in the discharge of its responsibility to inform the electorate, drawing its attention to challenges in the electoral system and assisting it to report elections in a professional and conflict sensitive manner. The media role in nurturing democratic ideals is reinforced by the crucial role the Nigerian media played in the struggle for democracy in Nigeria. Authors in [6] posit that electoral system is the process by which the citizens of the state vote to elect people to represent their interests and opinions in the government or parliament. On his part, Author in [5] says, electoral systems is a system and procedure by which citizens of a democratic country select through either direct or indirect voting of those who will represent them in the parliament and other positions in the government. Election is an act of choosing or selecting candidates who will represent the people of a country in a parliament and in the other positions in the government. Election is the process of choosing a person or a group of people for a position, especially a political position by voting. Election is formal decision – making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17 th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organizations, from clubs to voluntary associations and operations. The universal use of elections as a tool for selecting representatives in modern democracies is in contrast with the practice in the democratic archetype, ancient Athens. As the elections were considered an oligarchic institution and most political offices were filled using satiations, also known as allotment, by which officeholders were chosen by lot. Electoral reform describes the process of introducing fair electoral systems where they are not in place, or improving the fairness or effectiveness of existing systems. To elect means”to choose or make a decision” and so sometimes other forms of ballot such as referendums are referred to as elections, especially in the United States. Elections were used as early in history as ancient Greece and Rome, and throughout the medieval period to select rulers such as the Holy Roman Emperor and the Pope. In ancient India, around 920 AD, in Tamil Nadu, Palm leaves were used for village assembly elections. The palm leaves, with candidate names, will be put inside a mud pot for counting. This was called Kudavolai system. Elections were also used select rajas by the Gana. Ancient Arabs also used election to choose their caliph, Uthman and Ali, in the early medieval Rashidun Caliphate; and to select the Pala king Gopala in early medieval Bengal. The modern “election”, which consists of public elections of government officials, didn‟t emerge until the beginning of the 17 th century when the idea of representative government took hold in America and Europe. The media also provides the framework for communication between the candidates who seek the votes and the electorates. In addition, the media facilitates the electoral process through dissemination of consent information on the voting arrangements and procedures, mobilization of the electorate and serves as watchdogs of the electoral system. A vibrant and responsible media, therefore, plays a significant role in conducting credible elections and in deepening democracy. It was in recognition of this fact that the Democratic Governance for Development project, a joint donor basket fund of the European Union, DFID, American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 72 CIDA, South Korea and UNDP, has identified the media as one of the six pillars for deepening democracy in Nigeria. The overall goal of the project is to help develop the capacities of national and sub – national institutions, governmental and non – governmental networks, and civil society organizations for the further entrenchment of democratic governance in Nigeria. The project, in collaboration with stakeholders, seeks to nurture a vibrant, responsible and capable media, which is capable of engaging in the political process. The project has thus supported the training of journalists and editors on professional and conflict sensitive reporting, convening of editors‟ forum, organizing media campaigns, and in the establishment of functional media centre. This led to publication of media guide for journalists for the 2011 elections which is in furtherance of the effort to reinforce the role of the media in conducting credible elections and deepening democracy in Nigeria. The guide seeks to highlight the rights and responsibilities of media practitioners covering elections, particularly their rights to freely seek and disseminate information on the conduct of the elections. It also seeks to provide the journalists with a set of useful information and relevant documents that will be helpful in the discharge of their duties in the coverage of elections. Nigeria‟s media environment is robust and active. However, capacity of the media to defend democracy is not yet fully realized. Long military involvement in governance has not helped in this regard. The deregulation and privatization of the media reports are slanted in a manner that runs contrary to established professional codes and acceptable international best practices. Lack of adequate capacity in media output monitoring and quality control has ensured that the sector is not always at the cutting edge. This obviously has implications for Nigeria‟s democracy and democratic governance. For the media to positively and effectively contribute to the democratic process, its practitioners must understand and appreciate their role and responsibilities in a democracy, and also ensure that it operates within acceptable limits. What is the role of the press in society, that of the mirror, the conciliator, or the shape of issues and events in the society? The safest answer is perhaps to say that the press performs all of these functions, and even more, from time to time, depending on the prevailing situation. The press is an important institution in every society, and whichever of these or other roles it finds itself performing at any time matters a great deal in the life of a people. One particular news story, or an editorial, or a personal commentary published in a newspaper could serve as a mirror or reflector of an aspect of the social reality, and at the same time contain some ingredients of motivation, and even of conciliation as well, all of which could combine in some way to effect the level of knowledge, attitudes, and actions of people in determining the course of any event. In normal times when much of life‟s processes can be substantially observed in their regularized routines, this power and importance of the press continue to exist unhindered. In crisis situations when the routines have been disputed and when people‟s nerves and tempers also are likely to have been frayed, leading to a highly charged social atmosphere, the role of the mass media can easily be very decisive in helping to escalate the crisis or to assuage the tempers and bring the crisis under control Author in [15]. Practically, every country in the West African sub – region today, even, Nigeria, is characterized of numbers of crisis raging from politics, economy, socially, religion and ethnicity. There are spontaneous and longstanding crises or conflicts, which if unattended, could jeopardize the corporate existence of the nation, and disturb the stability of the sub-region. What role is the press in the region playing in these festering conflicts? The questions as to how the press goes about performing its function of providing information to people continue to be asked with a great deal of interest and anticipation. The question continues to be asked because despite the various constraints, the press usually has the ability to determine what to report, when to report it, how to tailor the information, and where it will be published. This is concrete evidence of the American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 73 power of the press. 2.2 Media and Elections For democracy to thrive, the media must play its traditional role of informing the people before, during and after the elections. The roles of the media in the strengthening of the democratic process are multifaceted. Basically, election is a participatory activity, which must necessarily involve a greater segment of the population. The constant dissemination of information by the media on the dates, methods and issues of the elections provides the required broader participation in the electoral process. In addition, the media provides the basis of choice, which is the essence of election. It provides information on the candidates, the issues and the political parties thereby presenting the electorates with a wide array of choices to cast their lots. Like in public governance, the media also plays a watchdog role in the electoral process by drawing attention to deficiencies in the preparations for the elections such as rigging, shortage of materials and other negative tendencies that might compromise the integrity of the electoral process. However, the role it could play, there are several ways in which the media can be employed for negative ends. The manipulation of the media as a weapon for the promotion of narrow political interests is not uncommon. Also, sections of the media have been employed to exacerbate our national differences and thereby threatening the fabric of the society. On several occasions, the media has failed to give voices and prominence to the poor and other marginalized groups in the society. The key issue in deciding whether the media will play a positive or negative role in the electoral process is how well the media is properly engaged and strengthened to play a vibrant role in the democratic process. The media must not only be reinforced as a strong pillar of democracy but it must be oriented to be n irresistible advocate of free and fair election, the in suppressible voice of the people and the vanguard of democratic values. (Media Guide for the 2011General Elections-INEC) 2.3 Functions of the media i. Inform ( a teacher function)]:one of the major traditional function of the media is to inform member of the public on happenings with and outside their immediate environment ii. Surveillance (a watcher function): media here serve as detective who watch other people deeds and try to let the public know of them. The media keep on looking like a dog .they nose around for anything important for public consumption. iii. Service the economic system: media also serve as a great avenue to promote economy activities in term of creating awareness about a product, company or individuals in order to create economy advancement. iv. Hold society together (act as sort of cultural glue): This is act of promoting cultural heritage from one generation to the other. v. Entertain: Media create laughter and serve as comic relief in some cases. vi. Act as a community forum (media equivalent of town hall meeting or group discussion) vii. Set the agenda for public discussions on issues of public interest viii. Service the political system where political actors use the media to win support of the general public. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 74 2.4 Factors Hindering Press Performance 1. The prevailing political systems and political culture continue to be the major factors 2. Level of economic 3. Strength and independence enjoyed by the press as shown in government policies 4. The ownership structure “who pays the piper dictates the tune” 5. The level of professional education and training of journalists 6. The nature of the audience 7. The importance of the event in relation to the interest of the audience 2.5 Political Crisis Author in [1] describes political violence has been in existence for many years. What distinguishes today‟s political violence is the disturbing frequency and variety of the events and the expanded opportunities available to the perpetrators (actors) of violent act in the political system. Author [9] emphasizes that violence is a breakdown of politics, understood as consensus building and conflict resolution. In the context of this statement, it must be noted that democracy is a lots of crisis. The causes of this crisis are: i. the inadequacy of the mechanisms of the democracy developed in the national environment to the conditions of globalizations; ii. The occurrence, in the context of emergent globalization, of social communities who, fearing they will not be able to adapt to the new conditions, are sensitive to the populist and national populist message; iii. The weakening of the credibility and even of the efficiency of democracy„s classic mechanisms because of the lack of transparency, electoralization and commercialization of the political action. As for the third cause, it must be underlined that the invasion of the democratic exercise by the methods of the commercial marketing and the development of “show state” led to the wider separation of society from the political field and of the power from the truth. This fact is expressed by the low turnout at the elections, the civic non-involvement and the cynical views of the social actors. In respect of all these three causes, mass have an immense responsibility and an essential role to play. Author in [1] categorizes political violence by type and scale. The typology of different categories and forms of political violence as identified by Author in [1] are ethno-religion, uprising, public violence or riots, party clashes, violent demonstration, arson, assassination, sabotages, hijacking, bombing, domestic terrorism etc Author in [7] quoting Author in [13] says violence has led to lost of several lives, destruction of private and public investment and retardation of national unity and integration, damage to national image and psyche, and slow pace of national development among other. 2.6 What journalists need to do before, during and after election? During the dark era of military rule, media practitioners, made great personal sacrifice and risk, fought American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 75 dictatorship and advocated for the return to civil rule. Indeed, the history of democracy in Nigeria will not be complete without due acknowledgement of the contributions and great sacrifices of the Nigerian media. The Independent National Electoral Commission recognizes the media as an indispensable ally in its efforts to conduct free, fair and credible elections. The Commission has always partnered with the media in the discharge of its constitutional mandate. i. Elections are about choices and for these choices to reflect the aspirations of the people for improved standard of living, they must be based on accurate and reliable information about the three key elements in the electoral process the candidates, the issues and the political parties. ii. The media provides the basic information required to make the right choices during an election. [Media Guide for the 2011General Elections-INEC] iii. The media also provides the framework for communication between the candidates who seek the votes and the electorates. iv. In addition, the media facilitates the electoral process through dissemination of consent information on the voting arrangements and procedures, mobilization of the electorate and serves as watchdogs of the electoral system. v. A vibrant and responsible media, therefore, plays a significant role in conducting credible elections and in deepening democracy. vi. It was in recognition of this fact that the Democratic Governance for Development project, a joint donor basket fund of the European Union, DFID, CIDA, South Korea and UNDP, has identified the media as one of the six pillars for deepening democracy in Nigeria. vii. For democracy to thrive, the media must play its traditional role of informing the people before, during and after the elections. The roles of the media in the strengthening of the democratic process are multifaceted. viii. Basically, election is a participatory activity, which must necessarily involve a greater segment of the population. The constant dissemination of information by the media on the dates, methods and issues of the elections provides the required broader participation in the electoral process. ix. In addition, the media provides the basis of choice, which is the essence of election. It provides information on the candidates, the issues and the political parties thereby presenting the electorates with a wide array of choices to cast their lots. x. Like in public governance, the media also plays a watchdog role in the electoral process by drawing attention to deficiencies in the preparations for the elections such as rigging, shortage of materials and other negative tendencies that might compromise the integrity of the electoral process. The media must not only be reinforced as a strong pillar of democracy but it must be oriented to be n irresistible advocate of free and fair election, the insuppressible voice of the people and the vanguard of democratic values. (Media Guide for the 2011General Elections-INEC) 2.7 Problems of Mass Media [Radio] Before, During and After Elections in Nigeria American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 76 The problem facing journalists working for mass media is of high degree in descent that the journalists must publicly be seen while filling their reports and the cameraman will remain standing in the public midst, thereby making them noticeable and vulnerable to challenges from political thugs and other irate youth who may want to rigging and destabilize electoral procedure. Findings have shown that many cameraman and reporters have been brutally beating, injured and even been killed before, during and after elections. Many reporters and cameramen were reported to have been kidnapped. Apan A.A (2006). Other problems include but not limited to the following: i. Seizing of camera and other gadgets. ii. Damaging of vehicles and other valuable devices iii. Kidnapping of reporters iv. Killing of pressmen v. Raping assault on female journalists vi. Serious beating from thugs vii. Poor access to public information viii. Burning of media houses by political hoodlums ix. Invading the press premises of the media organization of a report x. Kidnapping journalists family 2.9 An overview of 2019 General Elections in Nigeria General elections were held in Nigeria on 23 February 2019 to elect the President, Vice President, House of Representatives and the Senate. The elections had initially been scheduled for 16 February, but the Election Commission postponed the vote by a week at 03:00 on the original polling day, citing logistical challenges in getting electoral materials to polling stations on time. In some places, the vote was delayed until 24 February due to electoral violence.Polling in some areas was subsequently delayed until 9 March, when voting was carried out alongside gubernatorial and state assembly elections. The elections were the most expensive ever held in Nigeria, costing ₦69 billion more than the 2015 elections. Incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari won his reelection bid, defeating his closest rival AtikuAbubakar by over 3 million votes. He has been issued a Certificate of Return, and was sworn in on May 29, 2019, the former date of Democracy Day Nigeria. Author [19]. Men of pen profession indeed contributed immensely to the success of 2019 general in the country, Nigeria. Electorates and entire citizens of the country were adequately informed before, during and after the elections. Newspapers firms, magazine outfits, radio and television stations kept no stone unturned and did not just inform remembers of the public about electoral processes toward a successful 2019 general election but also educate all team Nigerians on how to get involve and participate fully on that much publicised 2019 general elections that produced many old and new politicians into political position in the country. With Nigerians being informed about every bit of 2019 general elections, political crisis before, during and after elections were reasonably minimal. Inclusiveness of media men in every aspects of electoral system cool the tension that could have pervaded the entire country if people were not adequately inform about political situation in the country, Nigeria. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigeria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Nigeria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_President_of_Nigeria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Representatives_(Nigeria) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Representatives_(Nigeria) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senate_of_Nigeria https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammadu_Buhari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammadu_Buhari https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atiku_Abubakar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Day_(Nigeria) American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 77 2.10. Theoretical framework A theory is some form of explanation of a class of observed phenomena. Karl Popper described theory as, “the net, which we throw out in order to catch the world, to rationalize, explain and dominate it”. The idea of a theory lies at the heart of any scholarly process, and while those in the social tend to adopt the tests of a good theory from natural sciences, many who study communication adhere to an idea of theory that is akin to that found in other academic fields. When evaluating the strength of a theory, the criteria commonly found in the sciences are derived from the scientific method, and often broadly applicable Author [8]. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Walter Lippmann is often quoted as referring to the media as the principal connector of events around us and the images of these events in our minds-i.e. “The world outside and the picture in our heads” Lippmann, 1922; cited in Price, 1992. 2.10.1 Social Responsibility Theory The social responsibility theory was propounded in 1963 by Siebert, Peterson and schramm. The theory was a result of the Hutchins commission on freedom of the press, set up in the United State of America in 1947. The core assumption of the theory is that media are expected to be socially responsible while maintaining their freedom. In this study, social responsibility theory emphasize the need of the media to have a peaceful society by intervening into crisis situations and report objectively for the benefit of all conflicting parties. 2.10.2 Peace Journalism Theory Peace journalism theory was propounded by Johan Galtung to tackle the traditional journalism penchant for promoting conflict or war. He argue that by taking an advocacy interpretative approach, the peace journalists concentrates on stories that highlights peace initiatives; tone down ethnic and religious differences, prevent further conflict and focus on the structure of the society. This theory is essential to this study in that it orientate the journalists to avoid instigation of crisis rather solve it. 3. Methodology The study employed survey research method. Baran (1999, p.350) writes that surveys are designed to scientifically describe phenomena and their relationships in the actual environment at a given time. Survey is appropriate for this study in that it is used for investigating attitudinal and behavioural change(s) in people in their natural setting. The study randomly selected 200 residents of Osun State, Nigeria. The questionnaire was used for data collection and the technique for data analysis was simple percentage method expressed in table of frequencies. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 78 4. Data Presentation and Analysis Table 1: Respondents assessment of the extent mass media contribute to political system in Nigeria. Variables Frequency Percentage Large extent 120 60% Low extent 73 37% Zero extent 5 3% Total 198 100% Source: Field Survey, 2019 Analysis: The table 1 above indicates that 120 respondents representing 60% said mass media contribute to political system in Nigeria in large extent, 75 respondents representing 37 said mass contribute to political system in Nigeria in low extent, while 5 respondents representing 3% said mass media contribute to political system in Nigeria in zero extent. It shows from the table above that mass media contribute to political system in Nigeria in large extent which is 120 respondents out of 20 making 60%. Table 2: Respondents assessment of the role mass media play in crisis resolution in Nigeria Variables Frequency Percentage Major role 132 67% Minor role 56 28% All of the above 10 5% Total 198 100% Source: Field Survey, 2019 Analysis: The above table 2 indicates that 132 respondents representation 67% said mass media play major role in crisis resolution in Nigeria, 56 respondents representing 28% said mass media play minor role in crisis resolution in Nigeria, while 10 respondents representing 6% said mass media play both roles in crisis resolution in Nigeria. The table proved that, mass media play major role in crisis resolution in Nigeria with the highest number of respondents 12 packing. Major role which means mass media in Nigeria indeed influence crisis resolution. Table 3: Testing respondents on how Nigeria publics see mass media as agent of crisis resolution. Variables Frequency Percentage Yes 94 48% No 100 50% All of the above 4 2% Total 198 100% American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 79 Source: Field Survey, 2019 Analysis: The above table 3 shows that, 94 respondents representing 48% that Nigeria publics see mass media as agent of crisis resolution, 100 respondents, 50% said they didn‟t and 4 respondents representing 2% agreed that they agreed and they did not agreed, it shows from the table that Nigeria publics disagreed that the mass media is an agent of crisis resolution which is 100 respondents out of 200 making 50%. Table 4: Respondents assessment of how mass media promote peaceful co-existence among major political parties in Nigeria. Variables Frequency Percentage Large Extent 83 42% Low Extent 66 33% Zero Extent 49 25% Total 198 100% Source: Field Survey, 2019 Analysis: The table 4 above shows that 83 respondents of 42% said mass media promote peaceful and co – existent, 66 respondents of 33% said low extent, while 49 respondents of 25% said zero extent. Therefore, mass media promote peaceful co-existence among major political parties in Nigeria large extent. Table 5: Respondents assessment on how political parties adhered to crisis resolution orientation programmes of Nigeria mass media. Variables Frequency Percentage Yes 38 19% No 140 71% All of the above 20 10% Total 198 100% Source: Field Survey, 2019 Analysis: The table 5 above indicates that 38 respondents representing 19% agreed that political parties adhered to crisis resolution orientation programmes of Nigeria mass media, 140 respondents representing 71% disagreed that political parties adhered to crisis resolution orientation programmes of Nigeria mass media. Therefore political parties did not adhere to crisis resolution orientation programs of Nigeria mass media because larger American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 80 numbers of respondents believe that political parties indeed do not adhered to crisis resolution orientation prorammes of Nigeria mass media. 5. Discussion of findings After thorough field work, collation and analysis of the data collected, it was discovered that mass media contribute in large extent to political system in Nigeria. The media as the salient agent of crisis management has indeed enhanced the amelioration of any likely crisis that may be felt in the political arenas of Nigeria. This is why the media is referred to as the watchdog in a Democratic setup over both the governance and the governed individuals of the society with regards to its social responsibility which has to do with factual, fairness and objectivity of the reporting of information to the large populace. From table 2 above, it shows that, mass media play major role in crisis resolution with majority of the respondents picking major role asregards the rate at which mass media play in crisis resolution in Nigeria. Also, mass media according to this research work, promote peaceful co-existence among major political parties in Nigeria. But, it was quite unfortunate that these political parties and most Nigerians have failed to adhere with the crisis resolution orientation programmes of Nigeria mass media for they do not see mass media as agent of crisis resolution. From table 2 above, it shows that mass media play major role of mass media play in crisis resolution, 56 respondents representing 28% agreed that the mass media play minor role in crisis resolution in Nigeria, while 12 respondents representing 6% agreed with both major and minor role of the media. Quite unfortunately, large number Nigeria publics do not see the mass media in Nigeria as agent of crisis resolution but only few said “yes” while little of them agreed with the two options. 6. Limitations of the study This study was limited by several factors that restricted the process of revisiting the role of Mass Media in Crisis Resolution in Nigeria. Such as: Time constraints: As a result of academic activities coupled with carrying out this research work simultaneously militating against the extent at which the researcher could have gone in carrying out this research work. Financial Constraints: There are no enough funds to actualize the study of this research work. The researcher has access to a very little fund. Attitudes of the Respondents: the attitudes of respondents who are to give relevant information to the researcher were too reluctant as they entertained phobia of revealing the information that are of concerns with Mass Media Crisis Resolution in Nigeria. 7. Conclusion Without mincing word, the role of media in the society especially in electoral processes and democratic development is so enormous. Undoubtedly, media is a veritable tool for achieving free and fair election as well American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences (ASRJETS) (2019) Volume 60, No 1, pp 68-82 81 as a key player in maintenance of peace and confliction resolution in any society. Based on the data analyzed it could be concluded that mass media in Nigeria are up and doing before, during and after election and that media in Nigeria are relatively peacekeeping agent. 8. Recommendation Arising from the foregoing, the following recommendations are made: 1- Government at various levels, federal or states should explore and device means or ways in which the media can improve and promote a peaceful resolution to challenges. The government could use the media to promote and manage expectations as in the case of the coming 2023 elections, which could one way or the other be prevented from getting bad or worse, this can be done through the National Orientation Agency [NOA] and other relevant organizations. 2- The government should involve the media in decision making and at Security Council meetings to make meaningful contribution and suggestion on how to achieve lasting peace and understanding in the state. 3- Media practitioners or journalists are expected to be responsible, accountable and professional in the exercise of their profession, in the same way and manner all other professionals are ethnically required to conduct themselves. 4- The media should promote the education of journalist on conflict management, peace building and reconciliation. In addition, the media should invest much more resources in strengthening their capacity to cover conflict and crises particularly areas that are devastated and in serious need of humanitarian relief or assistance. 5- The media must look at strategies and partnership between them and governments at various levels as a means of enhancing understanding on the part of the media. Such partnership could help build strategies for disseminating tolerance and peace messages to the target public or audience. The media could play vital role in increasing awareness with respect to conflicts and victims of conflict and let donors, NGOs, CBOs, relevant organisations and powerful individual know that crises or conflict victims are in need assistance, humanitarian or financial contributions or attention. References [1]. Alanamu (2005). Political crises in political system. Lagos: Landmark Publisher. [2]. Anaeto, S. G. and Anaeto M. S. 2010. Rural Community Newspaper: Principles and Practice. 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