ABSTRACT

This paper examines the role or the impact of Nigerian Press on shaping the country’s political structure period of study 1999-2004.

A general study of Nigeria is because it happens to be the period when we witness a transition to civilian rule. Many library materials constituted the sample source and literature review. Dates were also collected through extensive reading of information material on the government administrative policy.

There findings showed that by the period of 1999, government activities in respect to the policy of administration supposed to have passed the stages of mobilization to that of execution, and that newspaper will not only covered those activities by use of newstones but also comment on the policy formulation and application through the use of feature articles and editorials. The newspaper also identifies problems that should be solved for the government programmes to succeed.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0      INTRODUCTION

PROSPECT FOR NIGERIA POLITICS IN MODERN ERA (PERIODICAL CASE).

In all aspects of social life, the onset of a new decade triggers an effort to summarise and charactrised what happened 2-5 years ago, and to look forward to changes. The onset of a new era. The press stands as a bridge between the old and the new (History). The experience of the past in relationship to the new events. When a new regime arrives in power, it can blame its predecessors in government for many economic problems. The newly arrive uses press to compare its record in funding popular services with the previous regime and reminds the public in periods of time and unpopularity about how much worse off or more dis-granted they felt when the current opposition themselves held power. All these tactics cannot work effectively without the press. Even at this period of time.

The periodic Nigerian press has been on important source of government policy news for opinion leaders and decision makers or takers within a political structure as well as for the public at large. Since most people in decision making position of this country never come into direct contact with international communities that are the basis for foreign policy, they most rely on the press information about the particular issue.

This chapter surveys a segment of the Nigerian press during a series of related national policy decision made by Nigeria in the period of loss of sovereignty and company rule in Nigeria to the present civilian rule. (1999-Date).

However, citing when as one country, Nigeria came into being in 1914 as a result of amalgamation of North and South protectorates under the governorship of Lord Fredrick Lugard. This means that the political units that came together to form this nation were the old kingdoms whose people had a complex system of interaction (communication) before they ever made contact with the Europeans. Though comparing this old political history with the present, one can deduce that more political units are in vogue now than that of the old political units.

Moreover, the how and why the Nigeria press defines situations as it did and some possible implication of the behaviour of the press for rational national policy decision making influences the political structure. The press a surveyors of information can easily influence or control the behaviour of the society politically. In this regard, any political institution that under-estimates the power of the press does so at its own peril. In the frame work of the institution of the press freedom, the media must be so regulated and guarded especially in this democratic period that the desired judicious application of their power is assured.

The press council must be given appropriate legal status and power to impose sanctions and fines on media houses that erred. The council also should be given emergency power to regulate media activities in all election period. The aim of such emergency power will be to assure that press do not become tools in the hands of politicians to the detriment of the concept of free press and fir play in the time of elections.