ABSTRACT

Communication campaigns in developing countries like Nigerian have not been so successful in driving demand using commercial techniques and also in appealing to consumer preferences for safety, cleanliness, and prestige for environmental sanitation. Thus, this study investigated media and environmental sanitation communication in Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State. A cross-sectional research design was adopted for this study using multistage sampling procedures to draw a sample of 204 respondents who were administered with questionnaire and purposive sampling method to draw 3 respondents who were interviewed. Three theories were reviewed, namely: technological determinism, mass media agenda-setting theory, and critical theory of technology. Of these, mass media agenda-setting theory was adopted as the theoretical framework. A questionnaire schedule and IDI guide were the instruments of data collection. Questionnaire responses were processed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings were presented using descriptive statistics, like frequency tables, simple percentages, and charts. While thematic analysis was used to analyze qualitative data from the IDIs. The three formulated hypotheses were tested using chi square (χ2). It was observed that media have strong influence on individuals and the entire residents of Awka South LGA. Findings show that dumping of refuse at unauthorized areas and littering of the environment with plastic and solid wastes are the major environmental sanitation. This is because the waste management agency has not been efficient enough in their duties. Findings show that there are no specific workshops or programmes of environmental sanitation communication in Awka South LGA, except on few newspaper publications, radio, and television. Respondents get little information on how to properly dispose refuse, information on environmental sanitation dates and having waste bins in commercial vehicles. The critical obstacle to environmental sanitation communication from the media is lack of adequate funding by the government, lack of media experts and seriousness on the part of policy makers on the issue of environmental sanitation communication. The tests of hypothesis reveal that respondents in rural and urban areas share similar views on the fact that mass media influence citizens’ participation in environmental sanitation activities. Furthermore, educational qualification does not have any significant influence on knowledge of specific strategies employed by media in environmental sanitation communication in Awka South LGA. It was recommended that government, media practitioners, citizens, and all concerned stakeholder should make joint efforts to use media successfully in communicating and implementing issues that concerns environmental sanitation.