It’s cheap, provides accurate, factual and reliable news and information, it’s enlightening, entertaining and even educational – these were the views of citizens in Borno State in northeast Nigeria when asked what role radio programmes played in their lives.
This week the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) celebrated World Radio Day on Monday, February 13. Its theme this year was “Radio and Peace”.
And, after 13 years of living life under an insurgency, the theme and topic of radio as a medium could not be more appropriate for residents of the northeastern states, particularly Borno State, the epicentre of the insurgency.
UNESCO said radio was a powerful medium that celebrated humanity in all its diversity by providing a platform for democratic discourse. At the global level, radio remained the most widely consumed medium and this unique ability to reach out to the widest audience meant radio could shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard, the agency said.
Radio stations should serve diverse communities, offer a wide variety of programmes, viewpoints and content and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organisations and operations, it said.
Radio continued to be one of the most trusted and used media in the world, UNESCO said.
As such, Radio Ndarason International (RNI) focuses on the significance of radio in fostering peace and unity in Borno State where thousands of people have been displaced and many lives and property lost as a result of the Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’way Wa’l-Jihād (JAS), better known as Boko Haram, insurgency.
WHAT DOES RADIO MEANS TO CITIZENS IN BORNO STATE?
Usman Umar, a resident of Maiduguri, told RNI that he listened to the radio because it was the cheapest and most reliable means of getting world news and information.
“In fact, I first got news that the government had commissioned the newly redesigned naira notes while I was in a place where there was no internet signal. I was listening to the radio when I heard about it. I regard radio as my guide; it’s something I can depend on to let me know what is happening around me and in the rest of the world.”
Ya Kaka Goni Usman, also a resident of Maiduguri, said: “Radio is very important and helpful. I remember when there were all kinds of rumours circulating about whether the polio vaccine was free or not, as well as its health implications for children. It was only through radio that I got accurate information. Experts interviewed on radio confirmed that it was free and that it was, in fact, imperative for children’s health that they got the vaccine.
“I rely on radio to get accurate and factual information on local and global events,” she said.
Abubakar Sadiq, a teenage boy in Maiduguri, said he listened to radio stations every day.
“I benefit from it because radio programmes help to sharpen how I think and increase my knowledge on history and current affairs not only here but also globally.”
Nana Bukar, a teenage girl in the city, said: “Radio is like a teacher to the people, especially women and girls at home, because it is only by listening to the radio that we are able get some knowledge on certain issues. It is how we obtain reliable information on what is happening around the world and here in our own backyards.”
Baba Goni, an elderly man living in the city, told RNI that he had been listening to radio since he was a youngster.
“It has increased my knowledge – and even changed my opinions at times – in so many ways. It is only by listening to the radio that I get to know what is happening in the world, in other countries that I have never visited. I value it as an important instrument to gain knowledge and information that I would not get any other way.”
HOW RADIO GUIDES VISUALLY IMPAIRED/BLIND PEOPLE
Bashir Mohammed, a 24-year-old sight-impaired/blind and displaced young man, who was originally from the Guzamala Local Government Area but is now living in Maiduguri, told RNI that radio was especially helpful at the peak of the JAS insurgency.
“Radio was the only medium we had to get news and information. Before we were chased away by Boko Haram insurgents from our hometown, Gudumbali, some elderly men in the community depended on me to give them reliable news and information because they knew I listened to my radio all the time.
“Sometimes, if there was an attack on a particular place by Boko Haram insurgents, the men would ask me when it had happened and whether the rumours of the attack were true or not. I would tell them accurate and reliable accounts of the attack or any other issues they were doubtful of. Everything I told them I had heard on the radio.
“Even after the attack on Gudumbali, when we were taking refuge at an internally displaced persons’ camp here in Maiduguri, I often participated in phone-in radio programmes, telling listeners about the challenges confronting us. Sometimes concerned authorities would take action as a result.
“Still radio remains an indispensable means of getting knowledge. I never went to school. Through radio, even though I am blind, I have learnt so many things about Western and Islamic education, as well as life in general. It even keeps me on time because I hear it on the radio so I know if it’s 3 o’clock or 4 o’clock or whatever the time is.”
Mohammed said his father was a keen radio listener and he had inherited his dad’s way of doing things, one of which was frequently listening to the radio.
“Before the insurgency, I used to listen to short-wave [SW] radio. At that time life was peaceful in our hometown. I started listening to FM radio stations after I came to Maiduguri about eight years ago.
“Despite being visually impaired, I’m able to put the radio on or off and I can switch from one frequency to another and to whatever station I want to listen to. Radio has helped me all my life. Radio is my guide. Radio is my teacher. Radio is everything in my life. I do not ever intend stopping listening to the radio.”
Abba Tar said: “During the Boko Haram conflict here in Maiduguri, radio remained our eyes and ears. People like me who are blind are solely dependent on the radio to know what is happening in the community.
“Radio is more important to visually impaired or blind people than any other media simply because we cannot read a newspaper or watch television but we can always listen to radio to get first-hand information and news, whether locally or globally. Radio is our most important means of getting to know what’s happening in the world.”
HOW IS RADIO BRINGING ABOUT PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE RURAL AREAS?
Mohammed Bukar, a resident of the Damboa Local Government Area, told RNI that radio helped build confidence, perseverance, resilience, patience and strength.
“It is particularly important to hear news about resettled communities where people are living in peace. It will encourage us to develop a peaceful mindset, amid the Boko Haram insurgency that’s still ongoing.
“Damboa town has been attacked by insurgents many times over several years but we live in peace, unity and stability now. In fact, some people have been convinced and are willing to return to Damboa town after they heard on the radio that we are now living peacefully in the town. So, it shows what a good influence radio can have on people’s lives. We know we can depend on the radio to receive reliable news and information.
“Sometimes we tell people who do not own radios the good news so that they get to know what is happening in other places. I believe radio is playing a very big and important role in restoring peace, unity and stability not only in Damboa town but also in Borno State as a whole.”
Ya Karu, a resident of Damboa town, told RNI that she listened to the radio all the time because she believed it was important for her and others, particularly women, to keep abreast of the news to know what was happening around them.
“When the coronavirus – COVID-19 – broke out across the world, radio played a vital role by creating public awareness about the outbreak.
“To be honest, it was only through listening to the radio that I learnt how to protect and prevent myself from contracting the virus – by social distancing, wearing face masks, regularly washing my hands and sanitising, as well as covering my nose and mouth when coughing, among other preventive measures. So, radio remains an important tool to inform, enlighten and educate people.”
Ajid Umar said: “I listen to the radio every day because it is an important medium to get reliable and accurate news and information. Radio is costless, one can listen to it any time and anywhere, unlike television. To read a newspaper or watch TV, one has to sit down and make time to do these. TV also requires electricity to work, whereas a radio works with batteries, which most people can afford. Radio is the only medium through which we are able to get news stories in our communities, in the rest of Nigeria and in other countries across the globe.”
Baba Gana Alhaji, an internally displaced person (IDP) living in Dikwa town, told RNI that he had been living in Dikwa for about seven years and had always got news and information on radio.
“As far as I am concerned, radio is better than newspapers or television because you can listen to the radio at any time, at any moment, wherever you are. Even in remote places you can listen to the radio. It doesn’t matter where you are, if your radio has batteries, you will be able to catch up on the latest news. Radio educates, informs and entertains all of us.”
Alhaji Lawan Kashim, also in Dikwa, said: “Listening to the radio is important not only for me but also for everyone because it plays an important role in restoring peace and stability. It keeps us informed of ongoing counterinsurgency operations. Depending on what radio stations you listen to, programmes are broadcast in English, Hausa, Kanuri and Arabic, among other languages, meaning all people are kept informed about peace initiatives, as well as what is happening around them. Because of this, I believe radio is an extremely important medium.”
Bintu Mustapha said she always had the radio playing during the day.
“I always listen to radio because it helps me get news and information not only about my community but also globally. I depend solely on radio to get verified information and news stories from across the world.”
Mohammed Umar Massa, also from Dikwa, told RNI that he had been listening to radio for many years and he believed it had benefited him because he always got to hear what was happening around the world, in remote areas and in his community.
Abdulkadir Jamnah said: “By listening to the radio I am enlightened. I get to hear things I have never even thought of. I believe the medium is a form of civilization. That’s why I listen to the radio every day. In fact, radio has spread news about the fight against the insurgency. And now it is wonderful because we get to hear the good news about how our military and other security operatives are recording feats in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents.
“This, to me, is a sign of relief and the restoration of peace and stability not only in Borno State but also in the whole of Nigeria. Without radio, people like us who live in rural areas would not know what is happening around the world, let alone in our own communities.”
DO MANY WOMEN LISTEN TO RADIO?
Ya Gana, a 16-year-old living in Maiduguri, told RNI that she started listening to the radio about three years ago.
“I have learnt a lot about life in general. Despite the emergence of smart-phones and social media platforms, radio still remains the most powerful medium for women to get reliable news and information. Often the information we can get on social media is not accurate. We women are always at home and our radios are our companions and the guide on any issues that concern us.
“Before, you hardly ever saw a teenage girl or any young women listening to the radio. But since Boko Haram started the insurgency, people have become more interested in what is going on in their communities and the world in general. Women, especially, started listening to the radio and it has promoted societal development, peace and unity among women in Borno State.
“That is why I urge all women to listen to the radio and even to participate in radio programmes so that they can contribute their own views on peace-building in the state.”
Fatima Abba Wulgo, a 34-year-old woman in Maiduguri, said: “I have been listening to the radio for many years. In fact, the radio is my guide and my teacher because I have learnt so many skills by listening to programmes on entrepreneurship, cooking and decoration, among others. I often participate in radio programmes. In fact, there was a time I even won a prize on a phone-in radio quiz programme.
“Listening to the radio helps you learn languages that you don’t know, such as English, Hausa and Kanuri, among others. Perhaps the majority of radio listeners are now women because, without it, we are ignorant. It is extremely important to keep up with what is happening in our country and in the rest of the world.
“Our men don’t always inform us of what is happening, so it is up to us to keep up to date with what our soldiers and other security operatives are doing to try to keep us safe. I would urge all women to listen to the radio. It is one of the best means of getting reliable and accurate information and news regarding our culture, history, religion and tradition. It also keeps us informed on what is happening in the fight against insurgents.”
SHETTIMA LAWAN MONGUNO
