Audience Perception of Media Reporting of Separatist and Sectarian Agitations in Nigeria

on the promotion of bills and policies and motions in the National Assembly that address issues that affect the welfare of each of the people of each geo-political zones. The mere thinking that South-East is outnumbered in the National Assembly could also make people of the zone to view almost every government programme and policy with suspicion. People of the area may be thinking that the government at the centre does not represent their interest. They may also be thinking that the country does not mean well for them. All these could provide fertile ground for agitations to fester. This partly explains why the country has faced agitations from people from South-East who have over the years sought to separate from Nigeria. Such agitations have also been reported in the media. This paper investigates audience perception of this reporting. The study sought answers to four research questions. Survey research was adopted for the study. A total of 384 respondents were recruited for the study. The questionnaire was the instrument for data collection. The data generated were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that most of the respondents studied reported high frequency of exposure to media reports on secession agitations. The result also showed that the media of exposure were radio, TV, and newspapers. The sample studied perceived media reports on secession agitations as supporting such actions. The result also showed a significant relationship between exposure to media reports on secession and public perception. The researchers recommend, among others, that the Nigerian Union of journalists should step up their monitoring mechanism to ensure that media reports do not compromise national unity. outside people's environment are made known. The framing of these happenings and the mixed messages, which the mass media send out to consumers on daily basis under this era of media democratisation are perceived differently and also exert different impacts. This paper explores this experience in Nigeria with specific focus on separatist and sectarian movements' activities. As a sovereign country, Nigeria has continued to experience conflict prone separatist and sectarian agitations or struggles since the 1967/1970failed Biafran secession campaign. Some of the prominent separatist and sectarian groups include Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Move- ment for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Boko Haram Islamic State Movement (BKISM), Oodua People's Congress (OPC), Middle Belt Federation (MBF0, and Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) among others. Some of these groups can be regarded as self-determined groups, separatists, nationalists, civil rights, and indige- nous peoples' rights groups. Nigeria's socio-political and religious configuration predisposes the country to ethno-religious rivalry that has culminated in the desire and struggle for secession at different times by different ethnic nationalities. These struggles orchestrated the emergence of many national but ethnic prone media/dailies. This is because the media is often used by these groups and even government to propagate their preferred ideologies, 'ventilate their grie- vances and vilify their opponents'. The goal of these media outfits is to secure mass support, thereby making the media to either propagate of intolerance or disinformation or support the status quo or serving as of conflict resolution if their information or be and views ( el-Nawawy ).