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THE MEDIA AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

ISSUES FROM THE NIGERIAN NATIONAL QUESTION 

Okechukwu Egwu Ibiam, (PhD) 

Department of Political Science, Alex Ekwueme Federal University 

Ndufu-Alike, PMB: 1010, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria 

e-mail: okeyibiamegwu@gmail.com   Phone No. +2348039331875 

 

ABSTRACT 

The role of the media in addressing issues of national question through remains a critical 

issue among developing nations such as Nigeria. Its critical role in the development of 

nations has grown over the decades to constitute an unavoidable subject of discourse in 

societies’ journey through civilization mostly in contemporary times when most  

developing nations such as Nigeria, are facing multiple challenges. This realm of society 

has come through the ages of anti-colonial struggle to the independence and post 

independence military rule and other anti-democratic processes to become defenders of 

the rule of law, justice and equity in Nigeria. The media in Nigeria have been adjudged 

variously by observers and commentators on Nigerian development. Prominent among 

such observations include the findings of this study which reveal various dimensions to 

the interpretations of the role of the media in Nigeria’s national development. Here the 

analysis reveals the Nigerian media as having contributed a very high quota of service 

to Nigeria’s national development. These efforts are evidenced from the dividends of 

democracy which stand as lasting testimonies of the role the media have played and 

continue to play in Nigeria’s national development.  It therefore becomes of great 

importance for social science scholars, nationalists and other concerned citizens to join 

the media as they continue this task of society building.  

 

Introduction 

The media have come over ages to constitute un-avoidable institutions of society’s 

advancement.  They have remained not just the watch dogs of society, but also stake 

holders in the development projects of nations, in many spheres of life, especially as 

agents of mass education. 

 

According to Appadorai, (1975), the turn of the 16th century led to increased revival of 

learning, as men took to thinking for themselves against the previous centuries of mostly 

the dark ages of restraint of the human mind. 

  

He continued that this era arising from the renaissance as well as the reform movements 

facilitated the invention of printing that helped record and spread discoveries and events, 

across frontiers. By the turn of the 18th century enlightenment, printing had formed the 

basic channel for the spread of information across societies that natural frontiers were 

breached facilitating the rapid transfer and diffusion of knowledge among mankind.  Out 

mailto:okeyibiamegwu@gmail.com


 

 

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of these events emerged various institutions of society which began to assume specific 

fundamental importance and thus were given acronyms and definitions accordingly.  

Among these institutions was the mass media that assume the position of the “fourth 

estate of the realm” (Encyelopaedia Britanica vol. 14 1976).  The media have since its 

emergence played roles that have advanced society through the instrumentality of 

communication in varying degrees.  The word media “is a derivative of the Latin word 

“medium” which means “path/or “way” and “means”.  The adaptation of the media into 

the field of mass communication is in the plural form, “media, to denote the multiplicity 

of the various forms and channels employed in the art of communicating within society, 

which involves dealing with a mass or large number of people in their different categories 

(Igwe (2005). 

  

Defleur and Dennis, (1975), conceive of the mass media as “devices for moving message 

across distances and time to accomplish the goals of communication”.  There are many 

channels of the mass media.  These include the newspapers (and newsletters), magazines, 

(and journals), film documentaries, radio, televisions, books as well as direct mail 

communications among others.  All these are categorized into two viz; 

1. The print (Press) media that include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, 

pamphlets, journals, books, directories, directional circulars bill boards, sky 

writing and other technical devices that appeal specifically to the sense of 

sight of the masses as well as still pictures and cartoons etc. 

2. the electronic media include: 

(a) Radio; i.e. audio message received from the air waves, audio recordings, 

public address systems and 

(b) Television i.e. motion pictures received through the airwaves, video and 

cinema recordings and the latest ICT networks system. (Encyclopedia 

Britannica, 1976: 21). 

Message is invariably the central element in any art of communication. 

It is therefore in the effort to underscore the implications of the role of the media in 

society that we seek to examine the media in Nigeria, to systematize and analyze its role 

as a catalyst to the development of Nigeria. 

 

The Media 

As had earlier been mentioned at the introductory stage of this paper, the media have 

come to play very important roles for society. The media therefore are the means of 

communicating with large numbers of people across distances and time through the print 

and electronic channels.  The media has thus come through various processes and 

centuries along with the forces of industrialization in both the developed and 

underdeveloped societies (Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 21. 1976). 

 



 

 

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Forester (1964) lends a voice in this spot light on the media when he takes an over view 

of the phenomena and holds that historically, the growth of the media in most societies 

have been tedious and painstaking.  The circumstances under which the media have 

operated depended to a large extent on the level of civilization the given society has 

attained, as well as the prevalent political and socio-economic order that goes a long way 

to determine the trajectory of events in such societies.  Here the ideological posture of a 

society pre-disposes it towards a particular behavior regarding its media. 

 

In Europe and the Americas, the growth of the media came through travails that the quest 

for press freedom became the arrowhead of all other activities of the media.  Media 

practitioners were initially of the print media called the press before the emergence of 

other sectors and channels in the pursuit of the same noble task, hence we see both press 

and media as the same in this paper. 

 

Zachariah, (1946) argues that; despite these efforts and after the demise of the medieval 

order, the modern state arose and sustained the press censorship that it continued to 

constitute contentious issue between the government and the practitioners of this fourth 

estate of the realm.  Among censorship mechanism employed by the British government 

to censor the press within both its territories and their colonies which the post colonial 

Nigerian state has sustained include: Licensing and forbidding any press work and sales 

without government approval.  This order met with consistent criticism and antagonism 

that culminated in the emergence of the work of John Milton, an English poet, 

“Areopagitica”, in which he called for the stoppage of government caging of the press.  

He campaigned for the right and freedom to know, to utter and to argue freely according 

to conscience.  His efforts in conjunction with other scholars and those of the press led 

to the 1695 discontinuation of licensing of the press in England. (Zachariah1946). 

 

Other restrictions such as the law of seditious libel, etc continued and were faced with 

struggles to set the press on a better footing for the dissemination of information in 

society.  In America such struggles took various dimensions that culminated in the 1935 

trial of Job Peter Zenger, a New York editor accused of seditious libel for criticizing the 

colonial Governor, he was acquitted by the Jury, when his lawyer invoked the ethical 

order of ‘the right to print matters supported with truth’ in his defense, (Encyclopedia 

Americana, 1979). 

 

On the international level, conflicts over press (media) freedom continued that in 1948, 

the United Nations General Assembly in adopting the universal declaration of human 

rights; enumerated the principle which held that; 

very one has the right to freedom of opinion and expression and to 

seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, 



 

 

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regardless of frontiers” (United Nations 1948 declarations. cited in 

Dashe, ed., (1995). 

 

Despite the fact that all member nations are bound by this United Nation principles, many 

nation-states still operate laws that restrict the press through instrumentalities such as:- 

i. Government licensing of journalists. 

ii. Heavy taxation on equipments such as printing machines, papers, 

inks, etc (to curtail investments in the sector) 

iii. Press council, designed to regulate, punish and even withdraw 

licenses of “erring” practitioners. 

iv. Cases of libel for obscene publications that elicit negative 

consequences through literary and artistic publications as well as 

emotive issues in political, religious and cultural life of society that 

leads to tension and crisis, (Egwu, ed. 2003). 

 

In the third world countries in general and Nigeria in particular the media have remained 

the paradox in which circumstantial inclinations of both the government under different 

regimes and the practitioners have each played the media to the gallery of particular 

interests in the society, by either caging press freedom or undermining the ethics of the 

profession through state patronage to repress freedom of expression. 

 

The media served as a veritable instrument in the death knell on colonialism, which 

informed one of the early institutions that had effective spread in the particular case of 

Nigeria, in which its functions have continued to grow and elicit reactions from various 

quarters. 

Specifically the functions of the media have come to include among others: 

1. Political socialization and mobilization. 

2. Surveillance over the environment and society. 

3. Correlation of parts of society in response to the environment. 

4. Transmission of the societies’ heritage from one generation to the next. 

5. Entertainment, education and mass-communication related issues. 

6. The duty of watchdog of society in all spheres of life.  (Egwu . ed (2003). 

 

Development 

Development is a complex phenomenon that involves many aspects of life.  It ranges 

from the social and the political to the economic and other phases of the life of men as 

they interact with each other, nature and the society. 

 

Development deals with motivating people towards improvement in their lives as well as 

the entire society.  Here some form of profound transformation occurs from stages of 



 

 

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stagnation and decay to improved standard of life in a progressive manner that causes 

existence to appreciate positively. 

 

Many definitions of development exist in the literature.  Each scholar’s ideological 

position determines the form of his interpretation of the phenomena.  Among these are 

theories that range from the economic growth to the modernization theories, the 

distributive justice and the classical political economy theories of development, as well 

as the dependency theory.   

For Keith, cited in Egwu (2005), 

…the ultimate purpose of development is to expand the capabilities 

of people, to increase their ability to lead long and healthy lives, to 

enable them to cultivate their talents and interests, and to afford 

them an opportunity to live in dignity and with self respect… 

 

Development, as posited by Keith, is a sine-qua-non-for the actualization or fulfillment 

of man’s efforts as he interacts with matter and his fellow men. 

 

The world summit for social development, held in Copenhagen 1995, concluded that 

poverty reduction and full employment should be crucial aims for developing countries.  

The summit recognized that a necessary condition to meet these objectives was an 

appreciable increase in the rates of growth experienced over the 1980s and 1990s in these 

countries.  But it was implicitly acknowledged that economic growth is not in itself 

sufficient to achieve all the goals set by the summit.  The quality of these growths also 

matters.  (UNRISD 2000 publications) 

  

Issues arise here to cause scholars like Osiruemu (2004) to argue that socio-economic 

development deals with the relationship between economic activity and social life.  In 

many cases, socio-economists focus on the social impact of some sort of economic 

change, as a unit of analyses of development. 

 

As communities continue to grow, local officials and community members are constantly 

challenged by the need to balance fiscal, social, economic and environmental goals.  One 

aspect of this challenge is deciding how much and what type of new development the 

community can accommodate without compromising the day-to-day quality of life for 

citizens, through socio-economic development.  Socio-economic development promotes 

long-term sustainability, including economic prosperity, a healthy community and social 

well-being.  It also preserves the rural character of the community, by embracing 

improvement in the living standard of the citizenry, seeking to create a high level of 

employment, reduction of poverty, infrastructures and other essentials of life, (Egwu, 

2005). 



 

 

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According to Onyemeluke, (1977), development in national context refers to the 

processes of change, particularly on infrastructure, superstructure, human dimensions 

targeted towards the enhancement of a people’s socio-economic welfare and the average 

individual’s scope for self-fulfillment. 

 

On his part Nnoli, (1981), opines that development is not the collection of western 

artifacts with an index of how one is able to acquire industrialization, economic 

affluence, advanced technology, urbanization and democracy.  Rather he sees it as a 

dialectical phenomenon in which the individual and society interact with their 

environment to create general transformation of life from stages of stagnation and decay 

to an improved standard. 

 

These entails among other things a more equal distribution of income, more and better 

paid job, more gender equality and more gender inclusiveness and other social security 

imperatives which governments must not only encourage but also must create in their 

societies. All these with their significant objectives spelt out point to people oriented 

processes of development that go beyond the lip services of the world and indeed 

Nigerian leaders. 

 

Our contentions are located within the broad objectives spelt out by UNRISED (1991), 

which involves the promotion of international comparative studies that facilitate 

exchange of experiences.  This is possible through the creation of greater national 

comparability that enhances sustainability on all fronts of life based on specific life 

patterns that encourage the improvement of the lives of all peoples. 

 

In this order, we adopt as our guiding principle UNRISD’s four broad aims of qualitative 

development indicators.  These are: 

1. To help orientate national development and support of international 

cooperation by assisting governments to formulate and follow polices better 

geared to the well being of the population. 

2. To promote and evaluate progress among all peoples as they develop. 

3. To promote the application of policies for the pursuit of concerted projects. 

4. To provide early warnings regarding conditions that demand attention and 

action in the attainment of development goals.  (UNRISD (1991). 

 

The Media and National Development 

The media in Nigeria has come a long way through the colonial era under which it 

suffered repression and stiff opposition from the colonial administrators, till date to be 

celebrated despite the drawbacks that have been witnessed by its practitioners. 

According to Rodney (1988:287) 



 

 

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…Colonialism fettered the development of the enslaved people. To 

facilitate colonial exploitation, the imperialists deliberately 

hampered economic and socio-cultural progress (socio-cultural 

progress here encapsulating the functions of the media in pursuing 

the people’s socio-cultural development) in the colonies, preserved 

and restored obsolete form of social relations and fomented discord 

between the various nationalities, groups and sections of the 

society. 

The indigenous media of colonial Nigeria were among the sections of the society that 

faced stiff opposition from the colonial order that an antagonism between it and the 

colonial state persisted leading to conflicts.  Here the media became the vanguard for 

political independence and nationalist struggles, as a fusion of interests emerged between 

journalism and politics, within which every indigenous Nigerian politician became a 

potential journalist and vice verse.  At this juncture there emerged a collaborative effort 

in the struggle for independence in which the media through the few available 

newspapers like the “West African Pilot” Iwe Iroyin” a Western Nigerian based 

newspaper, etc, engaged in the political education of Nigerians about the ills of colonial 

rule as well as the need for the people’s support of the nationalist struggle (Nnoli 1978).                              

 

Under the colonial order the media was active as an agent of national development via, 

its collective and active enlightenment of the masses towards the opposition of the 

exploitative colonial masters as well as the quest for the people’s liberation and self rule 

actualized on 1st October 1960. 

 

From the 1960 independence through the various Republics (civil rule) and Military 

Dictatorship, the media in Nigeria have undergone various processes of both horrendous 

and nostalgic dimensions. 

 

The media have played great roles in some aspects of Nigeria’s national development as 

agents of mass enlightenment against misrule and totalitarianism.  The military rulers 

have all through their years of hegemony over the people of Nigeria declared an 

unofficial war on the media.  Efforts were made to apply all forms of draconian decree 

and jungle justice against the media, because this was a major source of exposing the 

appropriation tactics of the military juntas that held the people hostage in their land.  The 

media were so embattled that many such as Dele Giwa and others paid with their lives 

while pro-democracy activists such as Pa Rewane, Kudirat Abiola, and others who 

collaborated with the media to oppose military dictatorship paid the same painful price. 

 

The media was therefore muscled to the point it became an unofficial practice for various 

political office holders under the military juntas, to turn the media into punching bags. 



 

 

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Nigeria being a nation-state whose political leadership psyche has difficulty in adjusting 

to change has without surprise to continued the same violent political behavior into the 

democratic dispensation that started in 1999 when the military disengaged from and 

relinquished political power, thanks to the media and international pressures. 

 

It is therefore not surprising that the political cum democratic rulers have ganged up since 

1999 till date to either loot the peoples’ resources or seek to elongate and perpetuate their 

stay in office so that the brigandage will continue. 

 

This, the media has continued to expose leading to the attempts to once again muscle the 

media.  However, the media have maintained their ground that their voice continues to 

reverberate not just longer but louder, that the Obasanjo led civilian dictators bowed to 

the will of the masses; alas the entry of the Yar’Adu and Goodluck Jonathan led team, 

an indication that the media is still awake. 

 

Thanks to the media and the relentless efforts of other well meaning Nigerians, this new 

team of civilian rulers led by President Jonathan has since its entry into political office 

began to adjust to the true meaning of their calling which is democratic rule.  The media’s 

unwavering hold to their pen have caused hope to rise like the early morning sun to soothe 

the people’s hearts as they look forward to better days of sustainable democracy anchored 

on good governance. 

 

Analysis    

National development is an historical and dialectical phenomenon.  It is a desire of the 

various institutions and peoples that constitute the country; each imbued with various 

interests and goals, aspire to accomplish.  Such goals have on many occasions had 

opposing forces rear their heads so high above the overall national interest that crisis and 

conflicts have resulted leading to diverse forms of assertiveness that threaten Nigeria’s 

corporate existence. 

 

Ita, (1978), in a reaction to sectional sentiments and the attendant consequences warns 

that the greatest need of Nigerians today is to become a community, to evolve a national 

selfhood and that Nigerians should seek coordination among the ethnic (and sectional) 

unions in a way that will help to build a strong national consciousness. 

 

Here the consciousness of the people towards national development will involve a 

process of politically socializing the people into becoming good and patriotic citizens 

and making them feel they have a stake in the community worth fighting for.  Here a 

sense of mutuality of interests and identities must be fostered among the multiple and 

diverse ethnic configurations.  It is this consciousness building as well as exposing and 



 

 

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frowning at the ills of each society that the media’s avowed role of pursuing uprightness 

without reverence to any sacred cows becomes obvious. 

 

This researcher therefore submits that the media in Nigeria have come a long way in an 

antagonistic environment and generally debilitating socio-economic order to be 

identified as part of the institutions in Nigeria that competes with their peers in the 

committee of nations.  They have grown from being professional organs into that which 

takes on all available human and societal development strides; on politics, the economy, 

socio-cultural issues etc; and have continued to break into new frontiers of the emerging 

globalization processes, (Egwu 2005). 

 

Today in Nigeria, the media have come of age that they continue to watch the society 

exposing ills such as the celebrated sectional interests’ intent on scuttling the visitation 

of the law on any erring Nigeria leaders and the followers. 

 

The media have taken their position as the watch dog of the society as they continues to 

cover the young democracy, seeking for accountability, war against all social vices as 

well as calling on the society to look into the needs of the marginalized people such as 

the minorities of the Niger Delta, human rights abuses of the civil war, and others 

perpetrated by past military regimes, as well as present civilian despots. 

 

We submit that the journey has been rough so far.  The horizon is getting clearer with the 

media playing the leading role as well as calling society’s attention to fundamental 

national issues.  With caution and sustained effort against the ills of sectionalism, 

unfounded rumour mongering and witch hunting of any one or section of the country, 

the media will successfully occupy their proper place in Nigeria’s quest for national 

development. 

 

The effectiveness of the media’s role in this aspect involves locating the concept of 

development within the ambits of efforts that can transform the people and society into 

positions of improved living standard as well as the transformation of the economic and 

infrastructural base for good life. 

 

Development is about people and society moving in unity towards excellence, good life 

and order.  It is a process of interaction between men and their environment being 

transformed in that process, for the creation of an egalitarian system for the benefit of all 

mankind. 

 

The goals sought by this paper entail sustained education and information dissemination, 

unrestrained and unfettered; for the benefit of a class-less society.  These are the goals of 

the media and this is the essence of national development.  The media therefore has the 



 

 

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functional duty of ensuring that society does not decay into “nothingness”.  They should 

keep their heads above waters in this noble task of ensuring the success of the people’s 

quest for development through the profound transformation of society involving changes 

in property relationship and access for various social classes to public good.                               

    

Conclusion                                                                                                                                                                                    

This study has been an exposition of the role of the media in the national development 

efforts Nigerians. It is established here that indeed the media have come to stay as both 

the watchdogs of society and motivators of men in their efforts to cause development in 

their entire ways of life.  

 

The media in Nigeria have lived up to their responsibility in all phases of nation building. 

The citizens have shown their appreciation of these roles of the media in various ways as 

have been stated in this study.  However, much still remain to be done by all involved in 

the struggle by the people to sustain the dividends of democracy in not just the political 

institutions but also the economic and other areas of national life of the people. 

 

To achieve the much desired accelerated development of the Nigerian society, the 

media’s role identified here and many more to be discovered elsewhere must be 

sustained. The media have indeed been effective and patriotic in their service to their 

mother land. The gentlemen and ladies of this fourth realm of the society are indeed 

heroes and heroines of the people that deserve all the citizens’ support as they sustain 

their avowed struggle for the sustenance of the nation’s development efforts.    

 

Recommendations    
It is evident from this study that Nigerians have attained enviable heights in the various 

frontiers of human endeavor. Among such frontiers include the media whose efforts this 

researcher has painstakingly undertaken to study here.  

 

Despite these successes, there are still some gray areas of set back and lapses on the part 

of both the media and the citizens deserving attention for greater heights to be achieved 

by the media in the Nigerian development efforts. These areas are hereby discussed as 

recommendations of this study. Such areas include:  

 (1)  The media should strengthen their members’ professionalism through periodic 

training and other services that can reposition them in the development of our 

society. 

(2)  There must be concerted efforts at ensuring that only qualified journalists are 

engaged to practice the profession by the various media establishments, to avoid 

miss—information and other vices that may cause loss of faith in the media by the 

citizens. When the practice is left in the hands of the professionals, their effective 

service delivery to the nation can be guaranteed.    



 

 

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(3)  Contemporary efforts at sustaining the dividends of democracy in Nigeria must 

ensure the protection of journalists’ rights. Here the rule of law must be ensured 

and guaranteed on behalf of both the people and the media practitioners.           

(4)  All citizens must put their hands to the plough in the anti-corruption war by 

providing information to the media to help them bring unscrupulous public and 

private office holders to the public glare. This will facilitate the efforts of the long 

arms of the law at bringing such persons to book. 

(5)  National development is a holistic affair deserving the total commitment of the 

citizenry irrespective of creed, profession and other affiliations. All efforts must 

therefore be put in place by the people to work in association with the media to 

achieve the task of nation building in Nigeria. Nigerians must therefore join forces 

with the media and all involved in the struggle to take the nation to higher heights. 

 

 

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Igwe, O. (2005) Politics and Globe dictionary: Aba: Eagle Publishers. 

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