Exploring Language, Media As A Vessel For Social Mobilization And National Integration

The mainstay of a nation and its political system is the presence of virile communication and information institutions championed by a responsive media. This paper is an excursion into the role of language as a catalyst for social mobilisation and national integration. This paper acknowledges the peculiarities of the pluralistic nature of Nigerian language and the demand they make on effective communication. To a positive extent, the effectiveness of any language is a function of how much it is able to carry the masses along with the happenings in the society. This lays emphasis on matters of information, persuation as well as public relations; and without doubt, language forms focus here. With languages like English, Pidgin and to a reasonable extent local languages performing needed functions in the society, and especially through the mass media, social mobilisation becomes a success. The paper also views the media as a fertile ground where languages could be planted in order to produce the necessary information, persuation and public relations that can motivate and mobilise the people to the positive direction.