Veritatis Gaudium: Multidisciplinary Journal of Postgraduate Studies

The study investigated the Audience in the Southeast geopolitical region of Nigeria's reception of the national integration campaign. This region has been the site for increased secession propaganda by pro-Biafra media agents. Seven national integration campaigns on the Nigerian television Authority constitute the major thrust of the media campaigns for national integration which have enjoyed broadcast dissemination. The study is anchored on the encoding/decoding theory by Stuart Hall (1974). The theoretical position applied in the study explores three dimensions of integration campaign text; the worldview, Clarity of message, and concurrence with the personal and social life of audiences. The study adopted a qualitative approach. The research setting is Enugu State which was the capital of the breakaway Biafra state and continues to be the epicenter of Biafra social movements. In-depth interview was the data collection instruments. The themes of the qualitative data revealed general indifference to the national issues, the perception that the integration campaign as a failure, there is the perception that integration is a government agenda, there is also the theme of perceived superficiality of national integration campaigns, the ethnic affiliations overriding national interests and misgovernance. The national integration campaign rhetoric is problematic in the Southeastern region. The study recommends that the Government lead sincere efforts at reconciliation of diverse ethnic-religious groups in the Nigerian state.

Open Full Text (PDF)