ANALYSIS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF MASS MEDIA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
Over the years, the oil-producing areas of the Niger Delta have been engulfed in series of crises which is a major challenge to the development of the region. Efforts have been made to restore peace and engender development by various administrations at different times. Unfortunately, such efforts do not always go deep in pacifying or completely eliminating hostilities in the region, as such, development of the region has remained, at most, seriously glowed down. It is against this backdrop that this study undertakes an analysis of the performance of the mass media in the development of the Niger Delta region. Employing the survey research method, the researcher generated data using the questionnaire and in-depth interview. The study found among other things that, mass media agencies are mostly located in the cities where majority of the people who are rural dwellers cannot have access to; participate and contribute to development issues through the media. On the other hand, the mass media in the region are constrained in their performance by a wide range of factors, one of which is multi-lingual differences. In view of this, the researcher recommended among other things that, the mass media in the Niger Delta region should be more thorough, pragmatic and development-oriented in their programmes and coverage around the region.