DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2017.v05i12.026

Pages: 1935-1941

The media in Nigeria developed in different stages. The print media set the stage while the broadcast media followed after some years. The psychology and modus operandi of the print media at the time was transferred to the broadcast media. At the initial stage, the colonial government had little interest in the media; hence no government regulation was put in place. However, the print media from inception was influenced by politics. Ever since the Iwe Irohin was out of circulation after the Egba uprising, subsequent media outlets were influenced in one way or the other by politics. The selfish political interest of the newspaper proprietors then forced the colonial government to establish what can be regarded as the first media regulation; the newspaper ordinance of 1903. This sets the stage for media regulation and political influence in Nigeria. This paper explores the origin of political influence and government regulation of mass media in Nigeria, paying attention to how privatization and commercialization influence the nature of media operation in the country.