Utilization of youth information sources for community security and socioeconomic development in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria

Abstract

The continuous access to information sources among youths today in our dear structured communities is creating a conundrum on the very  existence of the people and the general purpose of information usage. The study examines youth’s information sources as a phenomenon and its consequence on community security and socioeconomic development. This situational study applies Information Horizons theoretical bases to explain who a lazy worthless youth is, on one hand and the dynamism of their general information needs and seeking behaviour as its affect
their community security and livelihood on the other hand. The study adopts mixed methodology and use descriptive research design approach to obtain vital information from the youths. The study area (Gwale Local Government) population is 362,059 and to determine the sample size of 300 respondents from the three wards (Kabuga, Dandago and Goron Dutse) Fischer’s formula was adopted, the study uses cluster and simple random sampling to obtain this representation from the population. Close and open ended structured questionnaires constructed along the theoretical frame were the main instruments used for data collection. The results obtained where presented using descriptive statistics of frequency and  percentage distribution tables. The result shows that the dearth of well assessed information is sine-qua-non to poverty spread among youths and the state of poorly structured information feeders hampers the youth’s ability to understand the structure of their community security and equally contribute positively to its social balance and economic diversity for sustainable development. The potentials of technology should be harnessed by government at local level to design community base eplatforms, e-town hall meetings, e-social forums and social media integrating text, audio,  video, audiovisual and other user graphic interface, where the government presence are guaranteed (e-governance and e-representation) with committed personnel to man the activities and provide all-round-current-information and access links and equally guide through its utilization. New
trends in information service delivery are important considerations to satisfying youths information needs, the study concludes.

Keywords: Youths, Information, Information need, Slouch and Socio-economic development