Assessing the challenges and opportunities of using communication strategies for peacebuilding in Taraba State: a descriptive analysis

This study critically examines the application of government's communication strategies in the bid to establish peace and stability in Taraba State. To be precise, the study was conducted to assess the impact of the application of government's peacebuilding communication strategies in Taraba State and the constraints that characterized the use of communication strategies in building peace and stability in the state. The study is anchored on Peace Journalism Theory. A survey research design was adopted, and 600 respondents were selected via a random sampling technique from three Local Government Areas of Taraba State. The tool of data collection was the questionnaire. From a total of 600 respondents that responded to the questions, 578 respondents gave valid answer that were analyzed using simple percentage and tables. The analysis of the data collected shows that government's communication strategy was successful in bringing peace and stability in Taraba State. It shows that peace talks meeting and commission of inquiry have been most frequently used by the government in bringing peace in Taraba State while limitations such as poor access to communication channels, poor reception of government's messages and lack of confidence in government communication have constrained its peacebuilding effort. The recommendation based on the study indicated that there is need for a better communication strategy on the part of the Taraba State Government on how to reach respondents with poor access to communication channels and with the lack of confidence in government's communication.