Effectiveness of Radio Broadcasting on the Preservation of Ethnic Identity of the Ikwerre People in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of radio broadcasting on the preservation of ethnic identity of the Ikwerre People in Nigeria. The research was based on development media theory. The survey research design was adopted in the study with a population of 1,390,895 people from the Ikwerre speaking ethnic nationality, and a sample size of 400 was derived using the Taro Yamane formula. The investigation employed the multistage and purposive sampling techniques. Questionnaire served as the instrument for data collection. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The key findings revealed that 92.5% of the respondents overwhelmingly agreed that vernacular radio broadcasting helped restore the cultural identity of the Ikwerre people. The results showed that 65.5% of the respondents agreed that the four Ikwerre-speaking local council areas have the financial capacity to build and sustain a vernacular radio station. It was suggested that Radio Rivers 2 FM be revamped and designated to promote Rivers State cultural heritage as a whole by broadcasting in Rivers indigenous languages in order to project Rivers State's rich multi-cultural diversity and identity, and, by extension, Ikwerre ethnic nationality. That the Ikwerre ethnic nationality should, as a matter of necessity, setup an Ikwerre radio committee to work out modalities for the establishment of a vernacular radio station that will clearly promote the Ikwerre language and culture to correct the many years of distorted narratives by Igbo writers claiming that Ikwerre is an annex of Igbo land.