Indigenous Language Effectiveness in Communicating Nigerian Government's COVID-19 Palliative Programme

Contributors
Solomon Tommy Oloruntola Sunday
DOI icon https://doi.org/10.36386/ijilmd.v1i2.620
Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of effective communication in disseminating information about government palliative measures, particularly in reaching Nigeria's vulnerable communities. This study investigates the effectiveness of indigenous languages in communicating COVID-19 palliative policies. Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys (N=312) and in-depth interviews (N=20), the research evaluated comprehension levels, policy uptake, and communication effectiveness across different language groups and channels. Results revealed significantly higher comprehension scores for indigenous language communications (M=4.12, SD=0.76) compared to English-only communications (M=3.41, SD=0.92), with radio emerging as the most effective channel (62.3% reach). The study found that indigenous language use enhanced policy understanding and trust among rural populations. However, challenges, including inadequate media infrastructure, limited language coverage, and difficulties in maintaining consistent updates across multiple languages, hindered effective communication. These findings underscore the importance of integrating Indigenous languages in crisis communication strategies, suggesting that policymakers in multilingual societies should prioritise cultural and linguistic considerations in public health communication planning while addressing infrastructural and resource constraints.

Keywords: indigenous language communication, COVID-19, policy implementation, public health, crisis communication

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