Indigenous Media and Rural Development: The Case of Oil Producing Communities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study is an attempt to provide lucid and perhaps comprehensive information on the role of traditional media on rural development in four oil producing communities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. It identifies types of traditional communication channels available for rural development, it examines the effectiveness of these channels of communication, and establishes how messages are packaged and presented in performance. The study employed descriptive survey design. The population of the study comprised 200 respondents sampled from the four communities. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 50 out of 200 respondents that constituted the sample for this study each from the four communitiesin Ikot Abasi Local Government, Akwa Ibom State. The result of the study among others showed that indigenous media are still being effectively used on rural development. Apparently vast majority of respondents strongly agreed that indigenous media are effective in disseminating information on rural development. The findings also showed that indigenous media facilitates communication among the rural people on community development. The study among others recommended that the government through the ministry of information and culture should improve the role of folk mediaby organizing regular workshops and seminar for the training of stakeholders in media operations.

facilitator helping to form attitudes, values and develop a climate of change. However, the reality of town crier is that he serves only rural areas and largely the illiterate populace.
Oral societies do generate and utilize a vast amount of information on development embodied in such societies" oral tradition (Fayose, 1980). Oral tradition is embedded in folk media and is an important communication vehicle for promoting and improving dialogue which the common people or the rural farmers employ to deliver their messages (Zwaal, 2000). Traditional folk media have remained a significant tool in the process of motivating people in the desired direction. It is a means of development and educational communication as well as the most appropriate medium for bringing about changes in attitudes as it is informal and unscripted in nature. This in turn helps the rural masses to accept social changes. For example, the use of traditional media can help to create awareness about the need for cleanliness in the neighbourhood.

Statement of the Problem
In Nigeria and indeed other third world countries, greater percentage of the people still live in rural areas. It is perhaps for this reason that it is now being advocated that in such countries, particular attention must be paid to the rural areas in any development strategy if there is to be any noticeable general national development. Traditional folk media which should provide an effective tool for dealing with development problems in rural areas has not been properly articulated in the mainstream development process. Hence attempts at communicating modern scientific and technological information to the rural people on rural development often result in the failure of such projects.
Rural development is a broad term and certain aspects like health, education, employment generation, infrastructure, environment protection, sanitation, energy conservation and entertainment can be the determinants of rural development. Judging from the failure of many rural development efforts to produce the desired effects, it is clear that there are defects in the communication processes embodied in those efforts especially when modern media, instead of traditional folk media is introduced into the rural development process. The characteristics of the sources, messages, channels, recipients and feedback involved in the process of communicating with rural communities need to be examined to see how they can be made more appropriate. A careful examination of rural areas will show that rural people are exposed to quite a lot of information, but the problem, however, is whether the information reaching them is reliable and organized in such a way as to achieve defined objectives.
It is also clear that not all the information required for rural development is available or accessible to the rural dwellers. The problem of this study therefore, is to find out how to facilitate access to this information by rural people for the purpose of development.

Objectives of the Study
The objective of this study is to look at the roles of indigenous folk media in the development of four oil producing communities in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, its contribution and success in the implementation of development projects.
Specifically, the objectives of this study are to:

1)
Examine the role of indigenous folk media in rural development in three oil communities; 2) Identify types of traditional communication channels available for rural development; 3) Examine the effectiveness of these channels of communication;

4)
Establish how messages are packaged and presented in performance;

Significance of Study
(i) The study will preserve the originality of each folk media form for rural dwellers (ii) It will generate a number of guiding principles for the government and development agencies on how to use folk media for motivational purpose and for promoting rural development programmes. (ii) The rural dwellers will rediscover the potential of performing indigenous arts in their domain as a weapon in their struggle for good health status, enhanced working and living conditions, political and human rights etc.
(iii) Development planners will begin to appreciate the use of folk media as a mode of communication to explain development programme.

RQ1
What are the roles of indigenous folk media in rural development?
RQ2 What are the types of traditional communication channel available for rural development?
RQ3 How effective are these channels of communication?
RQ4 How are messages packaged and presented in performance?

Literature Review
Writing on the forms and channels of indigenous folk media, Paul Mundy and J. Lin Compton (1991)  traditional modes as social forums, town crier and local market proved to be more effective than radio, newspaper and television in rural development effort. He further stated that an endorsement by a traditional ruler can make the difference between getting political office and losing out completely, as many politicians have since learnt their lesson.
Ansu-kyeremeh (1998) is of the opinion that the marginalization of traditional media in the past by the colonialist was a calculated attempt to discredit the system. He stressed that Eurocentric claims that traditional values and lifestyles are wrong and outmoded was not true. He said that the fact remains that traditional communication has continued to flourish in the rural areas.
Political campaign in rural communities especially in Nigeria is anchored on traditional media and in the same vein dissemination of development messages without factoring in these indigenous communication modes will be an exercise in futility. However,it is quite interesting to note that after many years of the exit of colonialism, indigenous media is still not striving in the rural area hence Akpomuvie (2010) examines the imbalances in the living conditions of the urban and rural dwellers. He asserted that the odds against rural development in Nigeria were rather immense and alarming. He stressed that the configurations of government plans were tailored strictly to facilitate the exploitation of the natural resources of the rural areas for the development of the few urban centres. Consequently, most of the initial infrastructural developments in Nigeria were skewed in favour of the urban areas to the detriment of the rural areas where the majority resided and inadvertently created a dualism. Since the government was "far" from the rural areas in terms of development and with the realization that government alone cannot provide all their needs, the people had to learn to "do-it-themselves". This alternative strategy of self-help and the communitarian philosophy of the people have not only accelerated the level of growth but have also spread the benefits of development to the rural areas in Nigeria.
However, where the government is properly playing its expected role, self-help activities should complement rural development and not replacing it.
According to UNESCO report (1999) on promoting rural media in Africa, it was observed that the lack of political support for community media, coupled with media privatization and commercialization had resulted in communities being marginalized. Those with political and economic power benefited from media liberalization, and community media lack the economic, technical and human resources needed to sustain them. The report stressed that communities should have the means to articulate their needs and control their own messages. It was proposed that the media and rural communities should create a synergy to find effective solutions to development needs. Emphasis was also laid on the formulation of strategies for promoting and enhancing the development of rural community media in African countries.It was also stressed that people were not mere recipients of information and that, with the policy of

Research Methods
The survey research method was adopted for this study with questionnaire as the main instrument. 100 respondents were chosen each from Ukan, and Ibekwe, while 100 respondents were picked from Essene and Ette, in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, representing the four oil communities using the purposive sampling technique. The total of 200 respondents constituted the sample for this study. The population of the sample comprises of male and female with age range between 18 and 75 years. The sample size was restricted to 200 to enable the researcher do a thorough work.Simple random sampling method was used to generate data in this study whilethe research sample for the study was randomly selected from the four communities. The presentation and data analysis of this work is based on the questionnaire instrument to investigate the roles of traditional media on rural development. Apparently from the questions, the data presented above revealed that 128 (64%) of the respondents strongly agreed while 59 (29.5%) agreed that traditional media are effective in disseminating information on rural development. On the other hand, 6 (3%) and 7 (3.5%) of the respondents disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively on the above subject. This result might be attributed to the fact that through the process of acculturation, the rural people gradually diluted their mind in appreciating the core value of the traditional media. It is observed from item 9 that about 99 (49.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed that beating of special drum is still effective means of communicating messages on rural development while 80 (40%) agreed on the same subject. On the other hand, 3 (1.5%) disagreed and 18 (9%) strongly disagreed respectively. Similarly, next item shows that 80 (40%) and 93 (46.5%) of the respondents disagreed and strongly disagreed that function of village crier in disseminating information is still in use in rural development programmes. Also 10 (5%) and 17 (8.5%) disagreed and strongly disagreed that village crier is still performing it functions today. The importance of town crier cannot be overemphasized in rural development programmes.
In item 11, 80 (40%) of the respondents strongly agreed while 77 (38.5%) agreed that songs (dance, work songs) constitutes effective means of communication on rural development.
Meanwhile, 21 (10.5%) and 22 (11%) disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively on the same subject. However, overall impression is that greater percentage of respondents strongly agreed that songs (dance, work songs) constitutes effective medium of communication on rural development. Information obtained in item 12 established the fact that the functions of folktales, proverbs and riddles is diminishing. As can be seen in item 12, 22 (11%) respondents strongly agreed while 30 (15%) agreed respectively. On the contrary, 72 (36%) and 76 (38%) respondents disagreed and strongly disagreed on the same issue. There is a decline in item 12 which is an indication of low level patronage of this channel of communicationas a tool for rural development. Songs, dances and special speeches that grace ceremonies is a popular performance in Ikot Abasi local government area. This aspect of traditional media is said to have been originated many centuries ago in many communities in the local government. The dance and songs may be staged for several hours and within that time, the mythological stories is fully narrated by the players that may be very effective in communicating development programme to the rural people. In item 13, 77 (38.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed while 86 (43%) agreed that composition of songs, dances and special speeches that grace ceremonies like weddings, burial, coronation etc. carry messages. However, 16 (8%) and 21 (10.5%) of the respondents disagreed and strongly disagreed on the above subject matter. In overall, higher percentage of the respondents strongly agreed that songs, dances and speeches carry message that could enhance rural development.
Item 14 indicates that 67 (33.5%) of the respondent, in their opinion strongly agreed that messages are packaged by devising the most effective means at initiation, funeral or at a wedding ceremonies. Also 67 (33.5%) agreed on the same subject matter. Meanwhile 43 (21.5%) and 23 (11.5%) both disagreed and strongly disagreed respectively. However, looking at the overall and 55 (27.5%) of the respondents disagreed and strong disagreed respectively. In all, those who strongly agreed that local trees, animals, landscape and weather play a major part in the way messages are coded and delivered were higher than others. Today local trees, animals, landscape etc. are still in use for development purposes.

Conclusion
This research study examined the role of indigenous media on rural development of four oil producing communities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn;An overview of the overall results of the study showed a high inclination of the application of traditional media on rural development. In other words, the role of indigenous media on rural development has been successful in project implementation in the three oil producing communities as seen in the responses. The result shows that majority of the respondents strongly agreed that indigenous media are effective in planning and execution of development projects. It was also observed that all facets of traditional media enhances rural development except that emphasis on the use of local trees, animals, landscape and weather as a way of coding and delivery of messages have tremendously reduced due to environmental factor such as deforestation, excessive land use, bush burning and hunting activities in the area.
Finally, it was also found that the role of traditional folk media on rural development is still viable, that traditional channels of communication such as drums, songs, village crier and folktales are still effective way of communicating development programmes. Messages are packaged and presented in performance. This is exemplified by different project initiated by the state and local governments. The communication potentials of indigenous media have been proven time and again in the history of development in various communities.

Recommendations
From the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made: 1) The government through the ministry of information and culture should improve the role of indigenous folk media by organizing regular workshops and seminar for the training of stakeholders in indigenous media operations.

2)
A number of guiding principles should be generated by the government on how to use indigenous media for motivational purposes and promoting development programmes.
3) Not all folk forms can be used for development communication purposes; thus they should be carefully studied from the point of view of content and characterization for the possible adaptation for development purpose.

4)
Indigenous media productions should be consistent with the needs of the social context and related to the customs and belief of the local communities.

5)
Traditional media makes communication among the rural people more effective and authentic when employed for development activities of the society, therefore, the government should encourage the development of traditional communications in all it ramification.