Elitist Status and Perceived Radio Message Utility among Fulani Herdsmen in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Fulani herdsmen are greatly reputed as unrepentant users of radio, yet, empirical data on their perception of radio message utility seems scarce. Further, elitist status bears significance for individual’s perception, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours in any social group. Hence, this study was designed to examine elitist status and perceived radio message utility among Fulani herdsmen in Akinyele local government area (LGA) of Oyo State. The Yorùbá version of 202 copies of a structured questionnaire was administered through structured interview among randomly selected respondents. An 11-item scale was used to measure perceived radio message utility. One wayANOVA and Spearman’s r were used to analyze data. Results show that perceived radio message utility wasvery low (mean =5.38±3.19; min. =1, max. =19). Elitist status and perceived radio message utilitywere positively and significantly related (Spearman’s r = .523;p= 0.000). Age was significantly and inversely related with perceived utility (p < 0.05) but marital status and education were not (p > 0.05). The radio is yet to be optimally tailored towards meeting the needs of Fulani herdsmen, a group that is probably the most ardent listener of radio in the Nigerian society.Key words: Radio, Fulani herdsmen, Elitist status, Utility.