Maida, Pate, others, commend Dr Omoniyi Ibietan’s scholarly effort on Cyber Politics in Nigeria, share perspectives

By Success Damian:

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Umaru A. Pate, Professor of Media and Society, President, Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN) and Vice Chancellor, Federal University, Kashere, Gombe State, were among the experts that spoke at the special Book Reading and Further Reviews of “Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria”, a book by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan

The book written by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, a communications guru and staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the event was held at the University of Ibadan on 19th April, 2024.

Dr. Maida speaking on Cyberpolitics and the Re-engineering of Political Communication in Africa, said that Dr. Ibietan’s path-breaking book, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography, and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria, broached a radical new territory in bridging psephology (i.e. the study of elections) and communications scholarship through an examination of the interface between social media networks and voting behaviour in the country, saying “It draws its insights from a deeply methodical study of Nigeria’s 2015 presidential election, unearthing the intersections of social and demographic factors, digital social mediation and the remarkable impact of these variables on the voting behaviour of the electorate.

“It is worthy of note that the referenced national polling presented one of the most significant evidence of how social media use can shape the course of an election, having the then political opposition gaining huge mileage from its ability to deploy social media platforms towards shaping and controlling public debates, and hence triumphing at the ballot,” Maida stated.

He added that the preponderance of data more easily reveals the impact of social media on political engagement and elections, both in emergent and evolved democracies, adding that it requires little clairvoyance that with the spike in upheavals instigated by economic dysfunctions across the world, social media will certainly play more consequential roles in driving electoral choices going forward.

Maida revealed that Dr. Ibietan’s book speaks to the reality of how the demographics of voting is now in favour of digital natives, whose engagements are set to upend the traditional media approaches, hence the great value in seeking an understanding of the growing interface across cyber politics, social media networks and social demography. Specifically, he said, the author utilised tested theoretical models and research methods to scrutinise the impact of social media on contemporary politics.

The NCC helmsman  disclosed that most significantly, the cutting edge of this vibrant scholarly endeavour is its proposal of a bold new methodology and approach to communications, described as the Channel-Factor Model, which situates the relationship among social media and other variables within a political environment. He said that it is a framework for re-engineering political communication in Africa that is as radical as it is innovative.

Maida added, “Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria is an absorbing and persuasive book that adds huge insightful value to an understanding of the interactions between politics, social media networks and other variables that influence the behaviour of voters in a democracy. Therefore, we particularly appreciate Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, a staff of the Nigerian Communications Commission, for this contribution to political communication scholarship.”

On his part, Prof. Umaru A. Pate disclosed he was personally enriched by the book. “Personally, I am enriched by the arguments and conclusions in the book. The book has increased my understanding of the relationship between the ever-growing social media and politics in the country. This is very important for obvious reasons, some of which relate to the popularity and influence of the new media, particularly among the most active components of the population.”

Pate therefore recommended the book as a worthy book for all students of communication studies, political science and allied fields. “While welcoming the book as a positive addition to the growing body of literature in the area especially as it gives the Nigerian context, I am strongly recommending it as a worthy book for all students of communication studies, political science and allied fields. Our political tacticians and gladiators and other scholars of the interface between society and information and communication technologies will find the text appropriate and generously useful in helping them to deeply understand the strategies and impact of the social media in Nigerian politics,” he said.

Prof. Peter Esuh, Dean, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, University of Uyo praised the author for deploying the Channel-Factor Model of Communication in his book saying “The book proposes the Channel-Factor Model of Communication. This model articulates the key influences and variables that impact effective communication in a political and socio-economic environment. The book clarifies the role of changing population dynamics in the developed and developing world and its implications for social media utilization in bringing about political change. These demographic trends’ impact on society and adopting new and innovative technologies imply broader political, social, and economic imperatives for all nation-states.

“It is well-known that technological innovation redesigns the global geopolitical and socio-economic landscape while enabling unfettered access to information and possibilities in real-time. While the internet and, by extension, communication platforms have provided the foundation for most of these possibilities, it is essential to be conscious of the potential impact of other emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Internet of Things (IoT), Robotics, Big Data,  Block Chain and Advanced Analytics on societal trends. Important foundational lessons can be learned from the impact of social media on societal outcomes, as demonstrated by Dr. Ibietan’s book,” he added.

Prof. Abiodun Salawu, North-West University, South Africa; who supervised Omoniyi Ibietan’s doctoral thesis in North-West University, South Africa, said “I had the privilege of supervising the PhD thesis from which this book by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan emanated. It was a pleasure supervising Omoniyi’s thesis as he was very conversant with the literature of the study. I must say that I learnt from the literature he used.

“Another of his strength was that he was able to do effective academic writing. This made reading his work not tortuous but exhilarating,” he added.