Author(s)

C. C. Eze

Abstract

Strategic uses of news created through mass media (tv, radio and newspapers) can promote public debate and generate community support for changes in community norms and policies on water challenges in Africa. Against this backdrop, the programme content of randomly selected radio stations within the south-eastern part of Nigeria within the last three years were content-analyzed to ascertain their degrees of focus on water and related issues. It was discovered that most of the radio stations studied devoted a negligible amount of their air time to water management. The study also established that members of the general public are the ultimate decision-makers and opinion leaders in our society. Attitudes, beliefs, norms, and practices are shaped by the dialogues that take place within families and the social networks we experience in our everyday lives. The study recommendedleverageing on the potency of media advocacy in attaining the goals of sustainable safe water as key to healthy and prosperous communities.

Keywords

sustainable water management, strategic uses, public policy, media advocacy, Nigeria