ATTENTION:
BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER ONE OF THE
PROJECT TOPIC BELOW, PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW.THANK YOU!
INFORMATION:
YOU CAN GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT OF THE
TOPIC BELOW. THE FULL PROJECT COSTS N5,000 ONLY. THE FULL INFORMATION ON HOW TO
PAY AND GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE. OR YOU CAN
CALL: 08068231953, 08168759420
THE ROLE OF
COMMUNICATION ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
ABSTRACT
The purpose
of this research work is to examine critically, the role of communication on
the development of various communities in Lagos state. As all the communities
in Lagos State cannot be examined, the researcher have decided to use Ibeshe
Community in Ikorodu environs as a case study.
Based on
some findings, it has been revealed that communication and access to various
vital information by Local Communities can lead to their development. Community
development itself is a broad term, in which no specific definition have been
accepted. This could be tagged to the fact that, it encompasses all spheres of
human and community lives.
Various
developed countries in the world have
attached their development towards having access to right information at the
appropriate time. Therefore, it has been stipulated that communication can
boost and foster community development.
Moreso, the
media are regarded as the agent of communication.
According to
the United Nations, the media has it as a primary objective to deliver
developmental information at the appropriate time.
This
research work is divided into five chapters:
Chapter one
gave a general background to the study. It entails the statement of the
problems, purpose of the study and significance of the study. Four research
questions and two hypotheses were
formulated. Also, the scope and limitations of the study were stated.
In chapter
Two, relevant literatures were reviewed. This entails textbooks, Journals,
articles and write ups from the internet.
Chapter
Three is mainly concerned with the research methodology. The data needed for
this research were gathered through the use of questionnaire.
In chapter
Four, the data gathered through questionnaire were analysed. The questionnaire
were in two parts; first section deals with Bio data while the second part has
to do with research questions and hypotheses.
Lastly, in
chapter five, summary, recommendations and conclusion were presented. This
entails information on the vital role of communication on community
development.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The issue of
community development has taken a new trend globally. Inhabitants of various
communities are expected to mobilize their resources and direct them towards
their development.
Community
development is a skilled process and part of its approach is the belief that
communities can not be helped unless they themselves agree to the process, that
is, community mobilization. This is a
process where community action, either internally or externally promoted, is
planned, undertaken and assessed by community’s individuals, groups, and
organizations on a participatory and steady basis to improve health, hygiene
and education level and better overall living conditions in the community.
Julius Nyerere (1973).
Ukaegbu et
al (1993) explains that, community development projects are seen in terms of their
expected contributions to the better life of a target population. Community development activities needs
peoples involvement at all stages of its delivery.
Community
development has been sometimes explicit and sometimes implicit goals of
community people, aiming to achieve through collective effort, a better life
that has occurred throughout history. Maureen Ngozichukwuka Egenti. (2005).
The 1954
Ashridge conference in England defined community development as a movement
which is designed to promote better living for the whole community with the
active participation and on the initiative of the community.
In 1956, the
United Nation Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) an organ of the UN defines
the term community development as the processes by which the effort of the
people themselves are united with those of governmental authorities, its
agencies and non-governmental organizations to improve the economic, social and
cultural conditions of communities, to integrate these communities into the
life of the nation and to enable them to contribute fully to national progress.
Community
development seeks to empower individuals and groups of people by providing
these groups with the skills they need to effect change in their
communities. Ashok Kumar (1980).
Committee
for Development, U K (2005) stated that, community development is the
structured intervention that gives communities greater control over conditions
that affects their lives.
Several
scholars have regarded community development as the life- blood of every
nation. Its importance is so enormous
that every country of the world, either developing or developed is implementing
series of developmental programmes, so as to foster national development.
Community
Development Programmes is a socio-economic programme aimed at developing and
reconstructing the rural society. It
aims at involving people in the development programmes and making them become
self reliant and co-operative. It also aims at encouraging them to take new
means for development of the rural society.
It is a strategy which brings about an increase in the standard of
living. Its importance can not be
underrated.
Some areas
in which community development programmes have been of help are as follows:
· Growth of Agriculture:
Agriculture occupies and plays an important role in any country’s economy. The development of agriculture is directly
within the womb of community development.
Community development activities seek to promote agricultural extension
programmes so as to boost food production.
· Health Services: Another gift of community development
programmes is the creation of facilities for public health. Through medical orientation, infant mortality
and epidemics have been reduced.
· Motivation of People
towards Nation Building: Community development
programmes plays important role in mobilizing and directing the people towards
development. It helps in imparting the spirit of community living and oneness
into the community people which in turn fosters development.
However
community development can be of various forms. Community development as a
process; as a process it is responsible for bringing about social changes.
Community development is not only a process that brings about social changes,
but also a method of achieving it based on the co-operation of people. Moreso, community development is also seen as
a programme on the basis of which process of change is carried out. Note, without proper programme, neither
method nor the process shall have any utility.
Lastly, community development is also seen as a movement, that is a
movement for eradicating illiteracy, unemployment, and poverty.
In outlining
community development strategies, some factors which enhances community
development must be put into consideration, part of which are; foremost, the community development project
or programme should be holistic in nature. Through participatory research
method, a comprehensive need assessment should be undertaken. This will ensure that community inhabitants
play an active part in the community development project. Secondly, in regard to the impact the project
will have on the community, there should be a long term vision for the
community.
Note, as
some factors enhances community development activities, so also do some factors
militate against it. There are numerous
obstacles which may hinder the ideal
community development process. Awareness of the obstacle may be the first
factor. Given the holistic nature of an ideal community development project,
lack of partnership or unified vision among community members may impede this
process. Moreso, lack of access to
information or lack of access to community meeting might pose a problem to
community development process. The entire community inhabitant should be
properly involved and have access to information that will foster their
development; else the community development effort will be futile.
However,
Communication is regarded to have been an integral part of community
development. Many countries of the world
have attached their development to an effective communication network.
Furthermore,
it is said that communication can not be detached from the mass media and
traditional media. Communication is a
tool in the hand of the media; therefore it is paramount for the media to
disseminate appropriate and vital information to the community dwellers at the
right time. Having access to this
information, knowledge and ideas, community development will take place as the
people will participate in their own development. This will tend to reduce rural-urban drift to
the bearest minimum.
According to
Ashok Kumar (2005) communication is considered to be a vital tool for rural and
community development. Rural and community people should not be denied the
right to have access to vital information that will foster their development.
Based on the
report of the panel of Newseum in Washington D.C on September 12, it was
ascertained that communication is an essential tool for advocacy and
mobilization in which every government must use for mobilization towards
development.
Ann Bush, (
communication and the Media, 2007) stated that mass media which is the media
for large audience could serve as a medium for Adult Education and Literacy
programmme which will foster community development.
People’s
participation in community development programmes is becoming the central issue
of our time and this participation requires communication. Development
programmes can only realize their full potential if knowledge, ideas,
information and technology are shared effectively and if populations are
motivated and committed to achieve success.
Communication is central to this task in many ways. For example it enables planners, when
formulating developmental programmes to consult with people in order to take
into account their needs, attitudes and traditional knowledge. Only with communication will the project
beneficiaries become the principal actors to make development programmes
successful (UNDP Human Development Report, 1993).
Issa (1998:
132) asserts that, community development forms the platform for national
development but this could only be achieved through an effective communication
system. He observes that “the rural
populace suffers from acute low productivity, social and economic retrogression,
lack of access to developmental knowledge and ideas due mainly to ignorance
which is also the direct consequence of either inadequate or total lack of
communicating necessary information, ideas and knowledge to them”.
The usage of
communication techniques, activities and media, gives people powerful tools
both to experience change and actually to guide it. An intensified exchange of ideas, knowledge
and information among all sectors of the society can lead to the greater
involvement of people in a common cause.
Communication is a fundamental requirement for appropriate and
sustainable rural and community development.
In achieving
this great task, one can infer that the various forms of media, that is the
modern and traditional media, should form the channels of information
dissemination to the rural inhabitants.
With this, ideas and new knowledge could be shared between the community
dwellers and this will in turn foster their development.
According to
the United Nation (UN) communication plays a key role in community development,
most especially women development. The area where communication is said to have
been important includes, helping women’s group to increase their self
determination and to broaden the dialogue between sexes regarding rights,
privileges and responsibilities.
Mabogunje in
his book “the role of communication in development, 2008” highlighted the
followings as the area in which communication can be of help to the rural
dwellers
· Malnutrition: In December
1992, it is ascertain by the International Conference on Nutrition that 780
million people of the world, mostly rural dwellers suffers from chronic
malnutrition. Therefore, at the
planners’ level, incorporation of nutritional concerns into developmental
policies is of great importance.
· Rural poverty: Most rural areas are
characterized by reliance on traditional knowledge and production system. In order to eradicate this social ill,
communication between local communities and national planners and policy makers
becomes important. New knowledge and skills need to be impacted into the rural
dwellers so as to better their living conditions.
· Population growth: Over
population in the rural areas is exerting pressure on natural resources, food
production and the ability of government to provide basic services, population
growth depends on choices made by individuals.
Helping people to make more and informed choices by raising their
awareness on the implication of family size and unwanted pregnancy and family
planning, forms an important role that communication plays in both community
and national development.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The
fundamental aim of community development is to empower community inhabitants
with essential and adequate information, ideas, skills and knowledge which will
foster their development. Development
can only be achieved if only adequate developmental information is passed to
the populace of the rural areas.
Community
development is the coming together of community dwellers or inhabitants to
identify their felt needs and mobilize their resources and direct them towards
the achievement of their needs. The
Lagos state government has designed and implemented several developmental
programmes, hoping that, such programmes would yield a desired result.
Millions of
Naira is spent annually to provide drugs to General hospitals for the treatment
of diseases. It was discovered that
community dwellers lack hygienic attitude, they live in dirty environment and
drink in pure water. Moreso, poverty ravages the community inhabitants as most
of them are peasant farmers and petty traders.
Lagos state
has the potential to develop all sects of human endeavors, more especially if
communication services are fully enhanced in the rural communities throughout
Lagos State. Effective communication
service in the rural community enhances development, despite the condition of
the rural dwellers in Lagos State, one may ask; in what ways can effective
communication service contribute to community development in Lagos State. The answer lies in the usage of the various
forms of media to disseminate new knowledge and skills into the rural community
inhabitants, the provision of essential amenity like electricity, usage of
epffective communication to eradicate illiteracy and ignorance and finally
mobilizing the community inhabitants to participate in activities that will
foster their development.
Though,
communication plays an important role in community development but, most rural
areas in Lagos state lacks social amenity like electricity, which is assumed to
be the major source of power supply to information and communication gadgets;
television, digital video display and computers. Then we are faced with the
problem of how information, ideas and knowledge would be disseminated by the
media for development when essential amenity is not available.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose
of the study is to ascertain the role of communication in community
development.
Specifically
the study will:
i. Determine the major sources of
communication in rural areas.
ii. Ascertain the level of access to
communication channels among rural dwellers.
iii. Asses to what extent access to
communication channels determines levels of involvement in community
development programmes.
iv. Determine whether access to communication
channels, information and knowledge plays significant role in community
development.
v. Determine whether modern media is
more effective than the traditional media in community development.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The sole aim
of this research work is to determine the role of communication on community
development. Therefore, the following research questions are formulated.
i. What are the major sources of
communication in rural areas?
ii. To what extent are communication
channels accessible to rural dwellers?
iii. Is there any relationship between
access to communication channels and involvement in community development
programmes?
iv. Is there any relationship between
access to communication channels, information and knowledge and levels of
community development among rural dwellers?
v. Is the modern media more effective
in the delivery of community development programmes than the traditional media?
1.6RESEARCH
HYPOTHESIS
The
following hypotheses are formulated.
i. There is no significant
relationship between access to communication channels and involvement in
community development programmes.
ii. There is no significant
relationship between access to communication channels, information and
knowledge and levels of community development among rural dwellers.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The
fundamental objective of this case study is to add to the existing knowledge on
the effect of communication on community development. The focus is based on the
inhabitants of Ibeshe community. As most
rural areas in Lagos state are characterized with low infrastructural
development, illiteracy and ignorance, the researcher seeks to know whether
passing appropriate developmental information, ideas and knowledge to the
community dwellers can foster their development.
Therefore,
the outcome of this case study will be of immense benefit to man power planners,
administrators and community development programmes executors. As information gathered will be use to
determine whether communication and its channels could be use to foster
community development.
1.9THE SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
The essence
of this study is to examine the influence of communication on community
development in Lagos State. As all the
communities in Lagos State can not be covered owing to time and financial
constraints, this research work is limited to Ibeshe community in Ikorodu environs.
Ibeshe
community is an ancient community, situated in Igbogbo Bayeku Local Council
Development Area. The community is
govern by the council chairman and the traditional monarch.
Questionnaires
were administered to the council officials, whilst some were shared among the
inhabitants of Ibeshe community, and the king and his chiefs.
1.10DEFINITION
OF TERMS
Ø Utopian: An imaginary state or place in
which everything seems perfect.
Ø Media: Main ways by which large numbers of
people receive information and entertainment.
HOW TO GET THE FULL PROJECT WORK
PLEASE, print the following
instructions and information if you will like to order/buy our complete written
material(s).
HOW TO RECEIVE PROJECT MATERIAL(S)
After paying the appropriate amount
(#5,000) into our bank Account below, send the following information to
08068231953 or 08168759420
(1) Your project
topics
(2) Email
Address
(3) Payment
Name
(4) Teller Number
We will send your material(s) after
we receive bank alert
BANK ACCOUNTS
Account Name: AMUTAH DANIEL CHUKWUDI
Account Number: 0046579864
Bank: GTBank.
OR
Account Name: AMUTAH DANIEL CHUKWUDI
Account Number: 2023350498
Bank: UBA.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL:
08068231953 or 08168759420
AFFILIATE
Comments
Post a Comment