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ASSESSMENT OF NEWSPAPER ON THE COVERAGE OF FARMERS AND HERDSMEN CONFLICT

ABSTRACT

This study examined the assessment of newspaper on the coverage of farmer and herd6smen conflict. The herders-farmers conflict comes with economic implications for the country. Violent feuds between herders and farmers have direct impact on food security: the availability of crops, meat and dairy products would decline with the conflict at a sustained level, affecting crop production and livestock production thereby. The objective of the study examine the frequency of coverage which The Punch and Vanguard gave to conflict between herders and farmers. The study adopted content analysis. The population of the study comprised THE PUNCH and VANGUARD newspapers. The purposive sampling technique was used to determine the sample of 56 editions for analysis. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select the newspapers. The technique employ in the content analysis was the frequency table. Findings revealed that The Punch gave more coverage to conflict between herders and farmers than Vanguard. When the newspapers are considered independently in their coverage of the conflict, findings show that high prominence was accorded more by The Punch (30.4%) than Vanguard (12.1%). The findings show that 71.4% (30) of the media reports on conflict between herders and farmers by The Punch were straight News, while Vanguard, reveals 30.7% (4) of the reports were sourced from straight News. The study therefore recommends that it is not enough for the media to gather and relay information about the conflict through news reports. There is need for media to keep the public abreast of unfolding happenings, interpretation and analysis of information are much more vital to providing them with the background (immediate and remote causes) and consequences (visible and covert effects) of the conflict.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Newspapers have consistently remained useful resources in society since their emergence in the 17th century (George, Curran, & Wingate, 2016). As a medium of mass communication, newspapers serve as tools for shaping thoughts, and means of controlling economic and political powers (Copeland, 2013). Newspapers also provide an essential forum for public discussion and debates, thereby providing guidance for society (Copeland, 2013). Newspapers are regarded as courtrooms, where judgements are passed against societal ills through editorials. The information, education and entertainment roles of newspapers further make them agents of socialisation (Stephens, 2012). Newspapers socialize members of the public by inculcating the values and norms of society in them (Stephens, 2014). In fulfilling these basic functions in society, newspapers, like other channels of mass communication, have always devoted attention to the coverage of various aspects of human endeavours. These include, but not limited to, politics, education, sports, business and economy, religion, arts and culture, entertainment and health.

Pastoralism is a conventional occupation among certain groups in Nigeria including the Kanembu, Kwoya, Manga, Fulani and the Shuwa Arabs (Blench, 2010; Muhammed, Ismaila & Bibi, 2015). However, the Fulani are the most prominent herding group, owning over 90 per cent of the country’s livestock (Abass, 2012). The fact that no other pastoral group is as numerous and expanded as the Fulani (Blench, 2003) could be presumed a reason for the pervasive stereotypes about the occupation of the Fulani pastoralists (Olayoku, 2014), and why they are the herding group mostly involved in disputes with farming communities.

The conflict between herders and farmers is a protracted issue in Nigeria. Violent clashes between them have been frequent since the 1980s, but gained new momentum in intensity and reoccurrence at the country’s return to civilian rule in 1999 (Blench, 2013). The progressive increase in the occurrence of clashes between herdsmen and farmers has been confirmed by different research findings and reports. It is reported that whereas only 18 incidences were recorded between 1997 and 2010, there was a surge of 371 attacks between 2011 and 2015 (SBM Intelligence, 2016). The conflict has been responsible for the death and displacement of many people in various regions of Nigeria. Fatalities are not limited to the conflicting herdsmen and farmers as innocent members of host communities are also casualties of the conflict. According to the Human Rights Watch (2013), the conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers significantly contributed to inter-communal violence and death of about 3,000 people in North-Central region of Nigeria between 2010 and 2013. On February 24, 2016, Fulani herders were reported to have raided and killed over 300 people in Agatu communities in Benue State, an epitome of the level of brutality that has become synonymous with the

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