Role Of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) In Promoting Gender Equality

INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Nigerian Television Authority is related to mass media because without mass media Nigerian television authority cannot perform in vacuum or be well known. So mass media apart from its Educating, Entertaining is a very important tool of communicating through which information is passed to the even to the farthest end of the world.
Mass media enable us to communicate with each other by helping us over come the barrier of time and space. They perform both primary and secondary functions for the society.
Mass media functions in various ways, first mass media keep us well informed of the happening around that is about day to day happening in our society or community. The mass media also persuade us mostly through advertisement. As we can see newspaper, magazine and television are fill with all kinds of powerful persuasive advertisement which tempt us to buy their product.
Also the mass media gives us entertainment. Television and Radio broadcasting provides us with a big variety of programs which both educate and entertain us.
Through mass media one can easily be mobilized .mass media has really help us in our society because of this reason society cannot exist without mass media, it also makes one to be more knowledgeable.
So because of this programs commercials, reports, broadcasting etc are either done by men or women which they feel promotes such media function by getting more audience to view,
read and listen in other to be informed about day to day happening in our community or society.
Thereby in Eliminating gender inequality in media report or programs. Getting the balance right is an illustrated resources handbook by UNESCO which deals with gender issues in media, the document access the key challenges faced by female journalists and the need to create policies for ensuring more equality in mainstream media Collen Lowe Morna (2002) in his book, promoting gender equality in and through the media said that women in developing nations are finding that whatever they gains in the traditional media, such as print and broadcasting, a lack of training opportunities in new technologies and difficult in accessing expensive equipment increase the marginalization of women in the new electronic media, it went further to say that men traditionally are early adopters, especially when it comes to social media women are at the fore front. This assertion shows that men and women have their part or area of specialization in the world of communication and technology.
Therefore the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) has to study both sexes in trying to perform it’s media functions. This research work is built on a various analysis on report all over the world about the role of Nigerian Television Authority in promoting gender equality in Akpugo community in Nkanu west local government Area.
Akpugo community in Nkanu West Local Government Area Enugu State is a very large community in Nkanu. It is located in Nkanu west local government Area of Enugu state. They share boundary with Agbani, Ugbawka, Amagunze, Ihuokpara, Akpofu, Ugwuoji, Oruku and Emene Nike etc..
The population is about 72,264, the adult among them are mostly subsistence farmers and petty traders, and they have a market where people are selling their product instead of
hawking their products. They do not have factories or any other establishment that can get people employed, they only have small scale business and for this reason most of their youths migrate to the cities in search of better life and greener pasture, that is they prefer to go to the city in search of white man cola job.
In Akpugo community they have elite people, they are Educated and learned. They have professionals to the extend that the professor of Electronic where born in Akpugo village but his late now. Akpugo people are highly industries and intelligent, they don’t depend on people and they are fearless human being and because of this they can survive in any environment they found themselves.
Akpugo people do observe all the culture of the Nkanu land, they observe Igbo tradition and other thing that Amechi people do like chieftaincy title, New yam festival, Coronation of Igwe (king) and also their land is very fertile. Akpugo community was existing before the coming of colonial master. They cultivate water yam, palm wine, palm kernel they have in abundant Even up to today, they produce the best palm oil in the whole Nkanu.
In the south East, Akpugo palm oil is the best .they have the freshest palm oil and palm wine to the Extend that people do go to Akpugo community to buy palm oil or palm wine to sell to the people living outside the community..
Akpugo people is a unique people, they are popular there is no place you will go to that you will not see Akpugo man or woman, but they have problem which is still disturbing them up to date, the problem is that they don’t like serving people, they don’t believe in serving people, they believe in themselves. They have pride in them and because of their pride they cannot be under anybody or serve anybody.
Akpugo people does not have good infrastructure like good road and good water etc. but they have many professors and personnel who are well known like our father founder .so this is little I know about Akpugo community.
This project work shall therefore look into how Nigeria television authority (NTA) fix men and women in programs, seminars, commercials and reports and also analysis on the various roles men and women play in the society or media reporting and broadcasting gender equality, we will discussed asatopical under this research. But before I will like to discuss History of Nigeria authority Nigeria ‘NTA’ briefly.
Brief History of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA)
Nigerian Television Authority popularly known as NTA is the oldest broadcasting station in Africa. Nigerian Television Authority is a government owned news broadcasting station that is mainly incharge of airing latest news around Nigeria.
Nigerian Television Authority was inaugurated in 1977 according to Nigerian Television Authority claim that they are the largest African stations.
Idowu Ifedoyin comfort says that the Nigerian television authority is one of the outstanding television station in Nigeria, it is the oldest television station that has its name changed to NTA formally by general Olusegun Obasanjo. This station posses all qualities to be a broadcast station that is accurate, objectivity, fairness and truthfulness etc and also it is the only television station that has it’s station in almost all the cities in the country.
Nigerian Television Authority have branches in the following cities in Nigeria but my main focus is on Enugu’s station Nigerian Television Authority ( NTA).
The Nigerian Television Authority is the largest television network in Africa as well as one of the oldest and most accomplished indigenous broadcast outfits in Nigeria. Nigerian
Television Authority has over the years distinguished itself as a force in the field of television broadcasting globally. It is equally programmes has received numerous awards at international competitions and festivals which include the following..
1. Ist prize the drama category at the URTNA competitions in Algiers, Senegal etc with cock crow at dawn moment of truth.etc
2. Ist prize for drama in us prized pieces festival with things fall apart.
3. Ist prize in documenting category with a labour’s honour lost at the 1988.
TAM-TAM international video competition in Italy among other laurels.
The authority is equipped with a new state of the are digital facilities which has additionally enhance it’s competition advantage as the major player in the broadcast industry worldwide.
Here in conclusion what am trying to explain is that NTA is a very large station that informs, educate and entertain people.

1.2 Statement of Research Problem
The success of Nigerian Television Authority depends on how it places men and women in it’s programmes, commercial news and it’s broadcast.
Inspite of the progress made over the last 25 years, NTA still churns out female stereotype that limit the power of women in the society.
In many countries, women are strongly presented in news room but media is still very much male dominated when the top positions are examined it is very difficult to find a man working in a news room, it is mostly female that work in a news room.
Another problem identified in this course of research is that women being marginalized in the news both in the context of the jobs they do and in the opportunity they have to make their way in the unions that represent them .battles for equality are being taught in every part of the country and this has really bring fight and problem in our country today ,men has really discriminate women from what they want ,by not allowing them to get exact work they want, men believe that men are not equal with them but is not suppose to be so because both male and female are equal because what a man can do a woman can do it better. It takes argument, debate, training and practical commitment to confront discrimination.
What this research is trying to explain or let us know is that men and women are equal no matter what.

1.3 Objectives of the Study
The following are the objective of this study:
1. To help people working in Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to access to programme on gender equality.
2. To identify challenges in Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) role in promoting gender equality in Nigeria.
3. To know the pattern of their work and also to know how Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is promoting their gender equality in Akpugo community in Nkanu West Local Government Area .
4. To know the area in which Nigerian Television Authority can help Akpugo community in promoting gender equality.

1.4 Significance of the Study
The result of this research will help to adjust those problems that militate against the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) role of promoting gender equality and thus help to improve the image of the course. The research will provide solution to those hindrances to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) role in promoting gender equality. The research will as well provide for Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) management they needed sound background towards achieving it’s goal of eliminating gender equality in large.
The immediate people affected by the problem is Akpugo community in Nkanu West Local Government Area and for this, they will benefit first as the research will be carried out on them, the people will become enlightened and vice will be reduced in the area. And also other undeveloped communities in Nigeria will also benefit because as they may have similar problem with Akpugo community the same process will be used in solving the problem. People living in Akpugo community is going to benefit because Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) will help them to promote their gender equality.
Again, Nigerian Television Authority will benefit because there will be smooth and easy flow of information round the country and to the most interior parts.
Above all, Nigeria as a whole will benefit because the economy will improve as most people will go back to their communities and get themselves employed to yield revenue to their country.

1.5 Research Questions
The following questions are the questions of this study
1. Does Nigeria television authority (NTA) programme ‘women in focus ’help to promote gender equality?
2. Does the location of Akpugo in Nkanu west local government area a hindrance to Nigeria television authority to effectively inform people of gender equality.
3. Could the astute and vibrant nature of women from Akpugo be associated with the Nigeria television authority (NTA) ‘women in focus’ programme on gender equality.
4. Can the participation of women in development programmes in Akpugo be associated to Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme on foot print?

1.6 Research Hypotheses
The following statement will provide some guide for the study
H:1 Nigeria television authority (NTA) programme ‘women in focus’ can help to promote gender equality?
H:0 Nigeria television authority (NTA ) programme ‘women in focus’ cannot help to promote gender equality?
H:1 The location of Akpugo in Nkanu west local government area can be a hindrance to Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Enugu to effectively inform the people of gender equality.
H:0 The location of Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area cannot be a hindrance to Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Enugu to effectively inform the people of gender equality.
H:1 The astute and vibrant of women from Akpugo can be associated with the Nigerian Television Authority(NTA) programme on gender equality.
H:0 The astute and vibrant of women from Akpugo cannot be associated with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme on gender equality.
H:1 The participation of women in development programme in Akpugo can be associated to Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme on foot print.

1.7 Scope of the Study
The scope of the study is on the role of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in promoting gender equality, the issue of gender equality will be explored using Akpugo community as the focus area.

1.8 Limitation of the Study
This research could not cover report in all aspect area due to time constraint internet network failure during the research and transportation cost.
The books consulted in the course of this research were not filled with current or up to date report about this research topic. Finally insufficient information supplied in some of the research material were also limitation in carrying out this basic information were not fully gotten.

1.9 Definition of Terms
As the topic of this research is ‘Role of Nigerian Television Authority in promoting gender equality in Akpugo community in Nkanu west local government area Enugu State.
Definition of Terms are as follows
Role: Function
Gender: A person’s gender is the make that they are male of female.
Gender Inequality :This is a male or a female
Gender Equality: This is a male or female of the same status ,right and responsibility for all the members of a society , group or family.
Community: Group or people that live in a particular area or community.
Nigeria Television Authority: It is a station that inform, Educate and entertain the society.
Operational Definition
Role: It is a character or part played by a performer. It is a also a way in which Nigeria television authority (NTA) is supposed to get involved in activities of our community to get it involved.
Gender: Gender has primarily to refer to the grammatical categories of masculine or feminine and neuter, but now the word has become well established in its use to refer to sex based categories . it is also a state of being male or female or sexual identity especially in relation to society or culture.
Gender Equality: It means being equal, visibility, empowerment and participation. It s also a set of attitude, actions and assumption .it is also a range of physical biological and behavioural.
Gender Inequality: It is a way of differentiating male or female that is feminine or masculine .it is a state of being male or female.
Community: It is a place in which people are living ,this people share the same Dialect, culture, tradition and also the same food .it is also a place in which group of enlightened and uneducated people that live together in a village.
Nigeria Television Authority: It is a station where programme and other things like news are done through the use of Nigeria television authority information are easily disseminated.