Press in Nigeria

The history of mass communication in Nigeria predates the 1859 publication of the country's first newspaper, but despite this history and the fact that Nigeria commands Africa's most powerful and vigorous press, gathering information on the subject has been difficult. Responding to the increased interest in the Nigerian press, Chris Ogbondah has compiled the first annotated bibliography on the nation's mass communication, listing over 450 items and covering aspects as diverse as history, censorship, broadcasting, and politics, as well as many others. Building on other partial bibliographies and essays, Ogbondah has produced the most complete single-volume compilation on the topic.

The book presents its material in a single, alphabetical listing organized by author's last name. Works listed include scholarly journal articles, books, reports, and conference papers, as well as some items that are not strictly academic but were written by professional media practitioners. Each entry contains an annotation that summarizes the main point of the work, its primary thesis, the conclusion, and any research questions. Complex works with several themes, objectives, or conclusions feature more detailed commentary, and wherever possible, dates of publication or presentation have been provided. A complete cross-referenced index concludes the work, and facilitates easy searching of specific topics and categories. This reference work will be a valuable resource for courses in African studies and international communication, and will be an important addition to public, academic, and research libraries in the United States and Africa.

CHRIS WOLUMATI OGBONDAH is an Assistant Professor of Journalism at the University of Northern Iowa. He is the author of Nigerian Journalism: A Bibliographical Essay, which appeared in Gazette, and The U.S. Press and Political Change in the Third World: The Coverage of Military Coups, which was published in Political Communication and Persuasion.