Assessment of the Effectiveness of Trado-Media in Disseminating Information in Rural Areas: A Study of Owerri West Local Government Area, Imo State

Communication is what gives social interaction a meaning and it arose from people desire to share their internal state of being through some overt expressions. Traditional means of communication in the society is indispensable and concerted effort must be made to achieve effective information dissemination. The study main objective amongst others was to ascertain the extent to which traditional communication systems in Owerri West Local Government Area Imo State has contributed to rural development in the area. This study was hinged on Symbolic interactionism theory formulated by Blumer (1969). The researcher in the course of this study adopted a mixed research methodology utilizing the Survey and Interview Research Methods while applying the tool of Questionnaires and interview guide to gather relevant data vital to the study. The data collected was analysed using the tools of SPSS and mean score analysis. It was revealed that the respondents who were part of the Interview sessions and the general public were of the view that different traditional media tools existing in the area have been effective in the disseminating information in rural Areas and facilitate Communication among the rural people especially form government, the individuals in the area and even non- governmental agencies who at one point or the other visited the area and communities. The researcher also recommends that though the tools have been effective in rural development programs and incentives, the need to further the use is needed in order to ensure a level frame of reference and understanding between the communicator and recipients in the area.