CHALLENGES OF GOVERNANCE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF USES OF LITERATURE, LANGUAGE AND THE MASS MEDIA IN NIGERIA

Abstract: Social Development as a sector in governance has been the whipping boy, suffering neglect in comparison with the other two aspects, namely the political- cum- administrative and economic sectors. Yet it is the closest in building bridges of relationship and engendering vibrancy in the political and economic arms of the government and society as a whole. As catalysts in social engineering, literature and the mass media have been found to synergize more implicitly than explicitly in development communication processes in all fields of human endeavor. The balance needs to be deliberately tilted in favour of the mass media and literature as potent tools for social development. The way and manner literature and the mass media have been put in the service of African societies in governance and social development has left much to be desired. This researcher’s findings and particularly a study of some Nigerian mass media and novels, as cases in point, have shown that special intervention in favour of literature and the mass media has to be taken as priority review mechanism if African countries are to catch up speedily with the rest of the world, or develop faster than they are currently.

Keywords: Challenges, governance, intervention, relationship, development catalysts, priority review.

Published: November 2017

Issue: Vol 1 (2) 2017: PLASU JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES