An appraisal of the contribution of the print and electronic media to environmental education and consciousness in Nigeria

Abstract

To assess the contribution of the print and electronic media in Nigeria to fostering environment consciousness, two newspapers and two radio and television stations were chosen in the largest and very indigenous city in Africa, South of the Sahara (Ibadan). A household survey was conducted to obtain information on how the city residents perceive environmental problems and to elicit their sources of knowledge on and about environmental problems in their environment. Research results indicate that despite the fact that the city was home to the first television station in Africa and that the two newspapers surveyed are among the oldest in the country, the print and electronic media are of limited relevance to city residents in their perception, knowledge and finding solutions to their environmental problems. The paper then discusses these results within the socio‐economic and changing political milieu of Nigeria.