Resolving Nigeria's ‘Boko Haram’ Insurgence: What Role for the Media?

Mitigating the Menace of Boko Haram: The Media Conundrum

“…Ayoola and Olaosun (2014) using this premise classified media reports about Boko Haram as unreliable due to the inaccuracies found in newspaper reports on the crises. Their view is supported by a host of scholars (Ademola & Okeke, 2011;Hamid & Baba, 2014).…”

“…roughs about by corruption in the government and neglect of the population to fend for themselves in the decay of government infrastructure and economic fabric that binds the local society together (Adeniyi, 2011;Noakes, 2014;Shode, 2018). The media has been accused of being complicit in the continued Boko Haram insurgency as has been documented by different scholars (Hamid & Baba, 2014;Ayoola & Olaosun, 2014;Shehu, 2015). This paper supports this view and adds that community media ISSN: 2549-7294, 2549 145 could have helped in bringing the above named negative indices to government attention as well as report on the activities of the Boko Haram group when they were viewed as a religious pressure group with representatives working with the state government in Borno state while behind, their ideologies were being fertilized and nurtured to the point of insurgency against government (Gusau, 2009).…”

“…This improved relation will see the media as a partner and stakeholder rather than the love-hate relationship that currently characterizes the media-military dynamics in Nigeria. This will go a long way in improving the quality of media reports from about the military and Boko Haram activities in the North East of Nigeria which some researchers such as Hamid and Baba (2014) have criticized saying that the media in Nigeria has failed in its agenda setting function with regard to reporting the Boko Haram insurgency. Other scholars have also lent credence to this view by maintaining that the media has not performed its surveillance function properly with regards to the Boko Haram conflicts in Nigeria because their reports lack objectivity (Lawrence, 2011;Okali, 2011;Okpara, 2011).…”

“…Other scholars have also lent credence to this view by maintaining that the media has not performed its surveillance function properly with regards to the Boko Haram conflicts in Nigeria because their reports lack objectivity (Lawrence, 2011;Okali, 2011;Okpara, 2011). Hamid and Baba (2014) further argue that the media in reporting daily occurrences are generally expected to display a sense of objectivity by ensuring that there is balance and fairness in their reports; implying that their report must be free from bias with all the parties involved given equal attention. News reports must not be one-sided, and facts must be separated from opinions.…”

Perception of and Attitude Toward Mass Media Reportage of the 2012 Flood in Rural Nigeria

“…For instance, Afolabi (2010) noted that the mass media have not been timely in their reportage of conflicts and insurgencies. Other researchers also show that the Nigerian media have not effectively played a surveillance function in the reportage of conflicts and insurgencies, neither have they displayed a high level of objectivity in their reports (Okpara, 2010;Oputa, 2011;Lawrence, 2011;Hamida & Baba, 2014). This can partly be attributed to the fact that most media organizations in the country are owned by state (sub-national) governments and individuals, and as such, they are primarily used to promote the interests of their owners.…”