Community Radio and Nigeria’s National Security Exigencies: Fears and Promises

Abstract

The community radio project is an emerging form of broadcasting that is gaining popularity and acceptability more than the other forms of broadcasting (state, public, commercial, private, and institutional). Its popularity is largely due to its potential to democratize and provide a horizontal form of communication, thus, contributing more meaningfully to development efforts than the other forms of broadcasting. Nigeria’s national security at the moment is facing serious challenges to the point that the country’s corporate existence as a united entity is threatened. This calls for serious measures to address the challenges. Community radio offers a veritable communication channel to facilitate peace building mechanisms and national integration. This paper argues that community radio project in Nigeria, when established, would have daunting challenges as well as promises in managing security issues. The daunting challenges centre on the activities of the ruling class and elites who would want to manipulate the project for their selfish motives. The promises are in the democratic, people-driven, and development-based features of community broadcasting. To ensure that community radio project facilitates national security, the paper recommends, among other things, political will, involvement of the people, media literacy education, and the involvement of civil societies to assist curtail cases of excesses in the operation of the community radio project

Key words: Community radio, national security, fears, promises, Nigeria.