Regional Parallelism and Corruption Scandals in Nigeria: Intranational Approaches to African Media Systems

278 Pages·2018·2.16 MB·English

by  Muhammad Jameel Yusha'u

REGIONAL PARALLELISM
AND CORRUPTION
SCANDALS IN NIGERIA
INTRANATIONAL APPROACHES TO
AFRICAN MEDIA SYSTEMS
MUHAMMAD JAMEEL YUSHA’U
Regional Parallelism and Corruption
Scandals in Nigeria
Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u
Regional Parallelism
and Corruption
Scandals in Nigeria
Intranational Approaches to African Media Systems
Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u
Uni Focus Academy
Kano, Nigeria
ISBN 978-3-319-96219-1 ISBN 978-3-319-96220-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96220-7
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To Bayero University, Kano
Where my intellectual journey began
P
reface
This is the first major study that applies a comparative approach to media
systems research in Africa from an intranational rather than cross-national
perspective by studying the media systems of three countries. Nigeria, Kenya
and South Africa. This is quite important because previous studies in com-
parative media research such as Hallin and Mancini’s Comparing Media
Systems (2004), Blumler and Gurevitchs’s Crisis in Public Communication
(1995) and Hallin and Mancini’s Comparing Media Systems: Beyond the
Western World (2012) and the famous Four Theories of the Press by Siebert
et al. (1956) focused on cross national comparative research.
Africa has a different historical journey, with most of the countries cre-
ated by colonial borders, combining nations within nations, yet under the
same national flag. Nigeria is a typical example of this where the amalga-
mation of the country in 1914 brought together different nations into a
single nation state. However, the character of the media still reflects the
context of the pre-colonial borders.
This book was written in three different phases. The first phase was
between 2005 and 2009 when I was at the University of Sheffield in the
United Kingdom, which coincided with the release of the seminal work of
Daniel C Hallin and Paolo Mancini, Comparing Media Systems: Three
Models of Media and Politics (2004). What I found quite fascinating about
Comparing Media Systems was the authors’ admission that the conven-
tional theories of the press, particularly the famous Four Theories of the
Press by Siebert et al. (1956), were inadequate to explain media systems
around the world.
vii
viii PREFACE
This was a revelation because it started the process for exploring one of
the questions I had since I was an undergraduate student in mass com-
munications. One of my favourite courses was the theories of mass
communications, yet I always felt that the attempt to situate the Nigerian
media system within the four theories of the press was too inadequate to
address the kind of media environment that operates in the country. When
I took a teaching appointment at Bayero University, Kano, my students
asked me the same question. Do we have an authoritarian media system, a
Soviet model, social responsibility or libertarian model?
These are theories that originate in Europe and were written under a
political climate, historical context and economic environment that is radi-
cally different from the one obtained in Africa. Therefore, there is need for
more research to understand how the media operates in other systems. I
was enticed by Hallin and Mancini’s humility to admit that the book does
not provide all the answers and cannot be applied without modification.
“We do believe that much of the analysis will be of interest to those
studying other regions…we will also stress that we don’t intend any of this
analysis simply to be applied to other systems without modification”
(p. xiv), explained Hallin and Mancini.
I am certainly one of those who took a strong interest in studying the
media systems of other regions. As much as I want to use a model that
originates from Africa, I also believe that scholarship has no borders.
Knowledge is a trust and it has been passed from generation to generation,
and even some empires where built based on the intellectual foundation
provided by people from other cultures, regions and nationalities.
Therefore, the work of Hallin and Mancini serves as a foundation that
can be applied with modification to test the media systems of other cul-
tures. That is exactly what I did in this book. As readers will find out, I
made several references to the foundation laid by Hallin and Mancini, but
I have departed, modified their paradigm and tried as much as possible to
explore the Nigerian media system, and by extension South Africa and
Kenya, in order to find the right answer to the question on the type of
media system that obtains in Africa.
During this phase, I attended major conferences such as the International
Communication Association (San Francisco 2007), International Summer
School in Political Communication and Electoral Behaviour (University of
Milan 2007) International Association of Media and Communication
Research (Stockholm 2008), Media, Communication and Cultural
Communication Association PGN Conference (University of Sussex
PREFAC E ix
2008) and American Political Science Association’s 6th Annual Pre-
Conference in Political Communication (Harvard University 2008).
These conferences proved extremely useful as I had the opportunity to
meet leading scholars in political communication as well as researchers
working on media systems. I benefited immensely from their contribu-
tions, which have been integrated into this book.
The second phase of writing this book took place between 2010 and
2016 when I published several articles in academic journals and wrote
book chapters about the subject of this book. I thank the anonymous
reviewers and the editors of African Journalism Studies, Journal of African
Media Studies, Journal of Global Mass Communication as well Palgrave
Macmillan and Routledge with whom I published some book chapters.
The constructive suggestions I received I am sure have contributed in
making this book what it is.
The third phase of writing this book was what I call the miracle of
Cartagena. I have physically been out of the academia since 2012, but my
heart has not moved an inch from it. I had planned to attend the
International Association of Media and Communication Research
Conference in Cartagena, Colombia, in 2017 but there was some diffi-
culty in obtaining a visa.
While I live and work in the Middle East, I had to obtain the visa from
the Colombian Embassy in Ghana 72 hours before the start of the confer-
ence. I must thank the organisers of the Cartagena conference for ensur-
ing that I received the visa. When the visa was issued, I was in neighbouring
Côte d’Ivoire and I had to purchase the travel ticket from Abidjan.
Although most of the airlines were fully booked I managed to get a flight;
however, the price would shake the credit card of any researcher let alone
a self-funded one like myself. It was my longest flight ever as I flew from
Abidjan to Addis Abbas–Jeddah–Dubai–New York and Cartagena within
those 72 hours. Finally, I made it to Cartagena.
One of the first people I met at the conference was Shaun Vigil of
Palgrave Macmillan. I immediately engaged him in conversation and told
him about my interest in publishing this book. After a short but fruitful
discussion, I wrote the proposal that finally resulted in the publication of
this book in Cartagena. I must therefore start by thanking Shaun for the
interest, advice and friendship throughout the process of publishing this
book. No flight was too long if it would lead to a modest scholarly contri-
bution like this.
x PREFACE
Glenn Ramirez was my line editor at Palgrave. I enjoyed working with
him, his speed and ability to turn things quickly is one of my takeaways in
the journey to writing this book. I also thank the anonymous reviewers for
the book as well as the team at Springer who were constantly in touch
throughout the proofing process. I received a lot of support from different
individuals and from research bodies to undertake part of this research. I
would like to thank the University of Sheffield Excellence Exchange
Scheme, the Kano State Scholarships Board, Bayero University Kano and
the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training, which
hosted me during part of this research. Mubarak Elegbede, Habeeb Amuni
and Olatunji Yusuf helped with the names of some local language newspa-
pers, I am grateful for their effort.
I must also thank the contribution of University of Sheffield professors
and lecturers: Dr. John Steel provided constructive comments on this
book and continued to provide support throughout the process of writing
this book. I am equally grateful to Professor Ralph Negrine; Professor
Karen Sanders; Professor Jackie Harrison; and Professor Martin Conboy,
who was instrumental in introducing me to critical discourse analysis,
which I have embraced and applied in many of my research publications. I
would also like to thank South Africa’s Professor Herman Wasserman and
University of Westminster’s Dr. Winston Mano for their contribution to
this book and providing support in many ways.
Habeeb Pindiga was extremely supportive; he helped with contacts for
interviews, sent me several reading materials and provided useful sugges-
tions. Joseph Burite, Bashir Saad, Houssam Bizri, Nur Abdullah, Muttaqa
Yusha’u, Abbas Yusha’u and Mujahid Yusha’u have provided tremendous
support including research and transcription of the interviews. I received
tremendous support while carrying out this research in one form or
another from my teachers especially Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, Malam
Ibrahim Ado-Kurawa, Dr. Abubakar Danlami Alhassan, Professor Haruna
Wakili, Dr. Gausu Ahmad, and my friend Malam Ghazali Abdullahi.
In the first quarter of 2018, I spent several weeks writing and research-
ing parts of this book at King Fahad Public Library. My sincere apprecia-
tion to the staff for their support.
Writing this book took away the precious time of my family. It certainly
reduced the phone calls to my parents who have endured my absence from
Nigeria for well over a decade. They have seen me through and gave me
the training and upbringing that every child would hope for. I am sure
they will be pleased at the sight of this book, and also all my brothers and
sisters. Thank you all.
PREFAC E xi
No one suffered from the writing of this book like my wife, Hauwa
Sarkina, a great friend and an unquestionable believer in my success. She
provides motivation and always believes that I can do better. My daughter
Asma equally deserves commendation; she sometimes had to bear with my
endless lectures on this book at such a young age, listening to me patiently
discussing such terms like regional parallelism or polarized pluralism that
perhaps make little sense to her now. So, also, my little Aishah who nor-
mally pops into my study area to have more time to play with her dad, only
to be disappointed with his commitment to meet the deadline for writing
this book.
There are too many friends, colleagues, neighbours and well-wishers
who have supported or provided words of encouragement. I apologise in
advance if you did not see your name, but certainly you are not
forgotten.
All views expressed in this book are strictly personal and do not repre-
sent the position of my present or previous employers. I bear responsibility
for any shortcomings in the book, and I hope any observation will be
communicated to me so that I can take measures to rectify it in future
research.
Thank you.
Kano, Nigeria Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u
reference
Siebert, F. S., Peterson, T., & Schramm, W. (1956). Four Theories of the Press.
The Authoritarian, Libertarian, Social Responsibility and Soviet Communist
Concepts of What the Press Should ne and Should Do. Urbana and Chicago,
University of Illinois Press.