AUDIENCE PERCEPTION OF THE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS ADOPTED BY EDO STATE GOVERNMENT

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this research was to analyse how the government of Edo State, Nigeria, disseminated information during the 2009 COVID-19 pandemic. Several government and nongovernment organisations made concerted efforts to reach out to the public during the COVID19 outbreak. For this reason, a study was set out to investigate the channels used by the government of Edo state in its efforts to communicate with its residents. The purpose of this research is to find out how well-known COVID-19 is among Edo residents, what channels of communication the state government used to get the word out, how residents in Edo felt about those channels, and whether or not they were effective. In order to achieve these goals, four research questions were formulated. A questionnaire served as the data collection tool in this survey study. Three-hundred-and-eighty-five questionnaires were distributed, out of a total of 385. Data was analysed and displayed using a straight percentage breakdown. The results showed that people in Edo have a good understanding of what COVID-19 is. The results also showed that the Edo State Government used a mixed-media channels to inform the public about the pandemic. The results also showed that Edo citizens viewed the state government's communication tactics favourably. This is likely linked to the fact that the communication strategies prompted them to take the necessary precautions against contracting COVID-19. The study's findings suggest that the Edo State Government used a variety of multimedia platforms while disseminating information on COVID-19. These communication efforts were so successful at getting people to follow the recommended COVID-19 preventative measures that they deserve special recognition. Similarly, widespread familiarity with COVID-19 suggests that the campaign's messaging was successful. The study concluded, among other things, that the government should prioritise the needs of its people and make a serious effort to solve the problem.