Indigenous language effectiveness in communicating Nigerian government’s Covid-19 palliative programme

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of effective communication in disseminating government's palliative programmes to Nigeria's vulnerable communities. This study investigates the effectiveness of indigenous languages in communicating COVID-19 palliative policies. Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys (N=312) and in-depth interviews (N=20), the research evaluated comprehension levels, policy acceptance, and communication effectiveness across different groups and and channels. Results showed significantly higher comprehension scores for indigenous language communications (M=4.12, SD=0.76), compared to English-only communications (M=3.41, SD=0.92), with radio emerging as the most effective channel (62.3% reach). The study found that indigenous language use enhanced policy understanding and trust among rural populations. However, challenges, including inadequate media infrastructure, limited language coverage, and difficulties in maintaining consistent updates across multiple languages hindered effective communication. These findings underscore the importance of integrating Indigenous languages in crisis communication strategies, suggesting that policymakers in multilingual societies should prioritise cultural and linguistic considerations in public health communication planning while addressing infrastructural and resource constraints.