Newspaper Coverage of Internal Youth Migration in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria has witnessed the migration of her citizens from one location to another within her geographical boundaries. This is generally known as internal migration. The push and pull factors have been identified by scholars and the effects on the nation's development documented. However, the media's role in elevating internal migration discourse to public space and consciousness has not been adequately studied. A content analysis of four purposely selected national dailies, with a total of 584 systematically selected editions from 2017 and 2018, was done. In the study, 196 stories (33.6%) were found to be qualified as internal migration stories involving young Nigerians. Domestic violence and abuse (38.3%) were found to be the major cause of internal migration amongst youths. Results also show that internal migration stories were not prominently positioned or placed in the dailies. Seventy-five percent of the stories were placed as inside page stories in tiny corners of the newspapers. The print media should consistently and prominently raise the issue of internal migration and migrants to public attention and discourse so that the causes of internal migration and the attendant consequences can be addressed by all concerned.