TELEVISION BROADCASTING AND ITS IMPACT IN NIGERIA’S DEVELOPMENT 1983 - 2007

ABSTRACT

Television broadcasting in Nigeria was a strong tool for information dissemination within those period (1983 – 2007) and was second to radio.1 The emergence of television in Nigeria can be traced to 1959 by the then premier of the Western region of Nigeria named Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Television which came to Nigeria in the early 1960’s had a notable impact on the country and it’s society within. The federal military government of Nigeria promulgated the “Nigerian Television Authority Act”, also known as Decree No. 24 of 1974. This Decree established the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) as a corporate body to coordinate the activities of television broadcasting in the country.2 The National Television Authority took over all the formal regional television stations in Nigeria as the Decree No. 24 of 1977 gave the government a significant role in controlling television broadcasting in the country.