Mass Media, Communication Policy and National Security

The Nigeria’s Situation

Abstract

The mass media serve as effective tools for national security when policymakers utilize them judiciously for the promotion of national peace. The recent surge in insecurity in Nigeria, exacerbated during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari through the processes of Fulanization, politicization of the security system, and the biased handling of bandits and killer herders, underscores the need for Nigerian policymakers to revise the communication policy in alignment with the current national security landscape. This study, guided by the social responsibility theory of mass communication and employing descriptive analysis, highlights that major political stakeholders, who function as policymakers, should play a constructive role in fostering peace in Nigeria by addressing security issues impartially. It emphasizes the imperative need to address security challenges such as Boko Haram, banditry, infrastructural failures on highways, cybercrimes, political killings, Fulani herders' atrocities, kidnapping for ransom, unknown gunmen, and others through a robust communication policy and fearless media reporting. The research also underscores the importance of political leaders abandoning parochial agendas against Nigerian citizens. It emphasizes that ethnicity and regional sentiments should not infiltrate the country's security apparatus. Recommendations include revisiting highway maintenance policies, overhauling the machinery of national security to pave the way for peace in Nigeria, and encouraging the flourishing of investigative journalism and fearless reporting.