Use Of English 2006 Jamb Examination

The obvious function of a daily paper is to give news to the people, but this, at the moment, may be done in three ways, which are not all equally laudable. First, there is the paper which set out to give a brief resume of the news and backs this up by well-written articles on the current affairs by leading writers and experts. Secondly, there is the ‘daily’ which caters for popular taste, and contains only the most sensational and exciting bits of news, supporting them with comic-strips, pictures children’s corners, women’s sections and readers’ letters on anything but weighty topics. Thirdly, there is the propaganda type of paper, which presents only those versions of the news which agree with its own particular political outlook. All this gives news in different ways; but what deeper function can the ideal daily paper have?

In the case of the Nigerian daily newspaper, the first type gives the thinking reader an unbiased view of the world situation, so that he can judge the importance of recent events for himself, but it does not indicate to him what he ought to think. The drawbacks to this is that semi-literate or uneducated find it dull or difficult and so are discouraged from reading such a paper regularly, because it demands too much thought and effort from them. The main advantage of this type of paper, however, is its soundness, excellent English expression and general effect of widening the readers’ knowledge on a variety of subjects.

The second type interest the majority and give them more striking items of news in an easily comprehensible way, accompanied by lavish photographs and usually with some slight political bias towards the left and the interests of the working class, from which most of its readers come. The drawback of this type is that there is not enough solid thinking mater and the English is often faulty in style – tending towards ‘journalese’. The advantage is that it is quickly and easily read, on the bus or train or over the breakfast table, and gives a superficial knowledge of current affairs to people who would not have the time or inclination to read ‘heavier’ literature. Also, it is a ‘family’ paper, which every member of the household can enjoy, since there is something to please all their tastes.

The third type to some extent, appeals to emotion, not reason. It instruct the reader in exactly what that particular editor believe he ought to think, and does not give him a chance to have a mind of his own by letting him hear the other person’s point of view. The drawback is that it prevents people from thinking for themselves, and causes political hysteria rather than logical thinking. the only advantage is that it does represent the ‘freedom of the press’ to publish whatever it likes, and allows discontented people to air their grievances instead of letting them smoulder underground.

From these examples, it should be clear that the ideal function of a daily paper would be to present the news clearly and simply, and to support it with articles in good English which shows the points of view of various competent people of different outlooks on current problems. The reader could then choose which line of thought appealed to him most. Women’s and children’s sections would be good so long as they did not grow so out of proportion that the paper depended solely upon them for its popularity. Good pictures would add to the paper’s instructive value as well as to its interest; and advertisements, kept in bounds, might be helpful, both as shopping guides and as a financial help to the paper itself. All these points seem to be desirable in a daily paper now that the radio helps in giving news headlines.

In recent times women in Nigeria have been seeking independence and recognition. No longer content with their traditional role as housewives and mothers, the women have joined together to create a kind of women liberation movement, first under the umbrella of WRAPA, an acronym for Women’s Rights and Privileges Agency, and later under several bodies including non-governmental agencies like Women in Nigeria (WIN), Association of Northern Women in Science and Technology (ANWIST) and Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A whole federal ministry called Ministry for Women Affairs has been established since 1995 for the development and advancement of Nigerian women towards what they call ‘gender equality’.

Through all these bodies, Nigerian women hope to acquire the freedom to pursue interest outside the home, like the opportunity to acquire education or pursue a career, instead of spending all the time doing housework.

The effects of the changes brought about by these bodies are already being felt in some families. For instance, the traditional husband-wife relationship appears to be undergoing a radical transformation. Because so man6yy women are now working, men are learning to share the household tasks of cooking, cleaning and even caring for the children. In some families, there appears to be a complete reversal of the traditional roles: the husband stays home while the wife earns the family’s income. It should be pointed out, however, that this is the exception, not the rule.

The effects of women’s liberation are being felt not only in the home but also on the job. More and more women are working and they are demanding equal responsible positions. It is not uncommon these days for a woman to head major Government ministries and parastatals. Many businesses now encourage women to advance to high management positions, and every year, the nation’s higher institutions produce more women doctors, lawyers, and accountants.

Politics and government are other areas that are feeling the impact of women’s movement. Although Nigerians do not appear ready to accept a woman president, women are already being elected to public offices in increasing numbers as senators and members of the national and state assemblies. Although Nigeria is yet to have a woman governor, which is the highest office in a state, there have been a few women deputy governors and house speakers. A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.

In conclusion, women in Nigeria are acquiring greater independence which is causing sweeping changes in the society – at home, at work and in politics. Some men may not be happy with these changes but the women are always quick to point out that it was they, the men, who created the condition leading to the reaction of the women.

The root of problem which bedevil rural dwellers in Nigeria can be traced to the sad fact that work opportunities are so restricted that they cannot work their way out of poverty and misery. Though a great number of Nigerians still live in the villages and small towns, work opportunities exist mainly in the big cities where development efforts are concentrated. The reason usually given for his obvious lapse is that it is easier to establish industries and to find finance and markets to keep them going in the big cities and towns than in the rural areas where productivity is low because of mass illiteracy and poverty.

As capital is the product of human work, rural dwellers who are desperate enough to overcome poverty often leave the villages in search of some kind of existence in the big cities and towns. Therefore, rural unemployment in Nigeria produces mass migration into the cities, leading to a rate of urban growth which seriously taxes the resources of even the biggest cities like Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Kano. Form the sad experience of these cities; it is easy to see how rural unemployment can become urban unemployment with the attendant social problems like robbery, overcrowding and the growth of shanties or slums.

Such problems cannot be wished away but will remain with us until deliberate efforts are made to bring health to economic life outside the big cities in order to check the migration of destitute rural dwellers into town and cities that cannot absorb them.

It is necessary; therefore, that at least an important part of the development effort should bypass the bid cities and be concerned with the provision of viable infrastructure in the small town s and villages. In this connection, it is necessary to emphasize that the primary need is workplaces. The task should be to bring into existence thousands or millions of new workplaces in the rural areas and small towns in order to maximize work opportunities for rural dwellers.

For this proposition to make sense, first, the work opportunities should be created in the rural areas where the majority of the people live, not where they tend to migrate for lack of opportunities. Second, the production method employed must be relatively simple, so that the demands for high skills are minimized not only in the production process itself but also in matters of organization, raw material supply, financing, marketing and so forth. Third, production should be mainly from local materials and for local use. Lastly, rural workplaces should be cheap enough so that they can be created in large numbers. These four requirements together meet the description of what is usually called 'cottage industry'. Millions of them are needed for rural transformation in Nigeria and to check the dangerous process of mutual poisoning between urban and rural areas in the country.