INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: A STUDY OF IVO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CHAPTER ONE
Communication is the life wire of every living organism. To live is to communicate what a cell does in every living organism is exactly what communication does to human being and it entire environment. Communication is the eye through which people sees other peoples mind and know their intention and adapt to it and restore ecological harmony which will enhance development within them.
For the cause of this research work, I will rest my study to a branch of communication known as interpersonal communication. Because of its authenticity and accuracy in generating information as a result of face to face interaction and immediate feedback in nature.
The importance of interpersonal communication in conflict resolution and community development” cannot be over emphasized in Nigeria and the entire world. Interpersonal communication have played a vital role in conflict resolution and community development. Interpersonal communication is very vital necessary in community development, because of the function it performed in establishing unity within the communities that made up the Ivo Local government Area in Ebonyi State.
The functions interpersonal communication can perform will be enumerated as follows settlement of land dispute, rural conflict intertribal crisis and other controversies among the communities. Interpersonal communication will be very-very vital in all endevour because it will enhance development in the community through dialogue because through communication there will be peace it is certain to have progress with development in our various communities.
According to Chibuzor Asomugha and Anwuli Chukwukaelo (2014:32) Communication which is used in everyday life from greeting process of sending and receiving message that enables human to share knowledge ideas thought, information feelings emotion and attitudes. According to Nweneme (2009:21) interpersonal communication is the type of communication which occurs between two persons in face to face communication encounter.
He added that during interpersonal communication contact, it made between personal, one act as a sender or source the other act as a receiver or decoder. According to Agbo and Ezinwa (2008: 68) interpersonal communication cannot exist in a vacuum, they must be some form of human interaction or contact, persons must be involved. Finally Okunna (1999:16) said that it is a type of communication that take place between or among persons predominantly in a face to face situation, she added that interpersonal communication include public speech panel discussion,board meeting and social conversation. She also stated that this type of communication can as a well take place in a small micro group gathering such as village meeting round table discussion or meeting of academic and non academic staff on the other way community development can be defined according to Eberinwa (2011:109) as a movement designed to promote living for the whole community with the active participation and if possible on the initiative of the community but if this is not forth coming spontaneously by the use of techniques for arousing and stimulating it in order to secure its active and enthusiastic response to the movement. According to Onwuka (2008:13) he see community development as a process by which effort of the people themselves are united with that government authority to improve the economic, social and political/cultural condition of the people to enable them contribute fully to the national progress. He added that community development makes it possible for the participation of people. Themselves in effort to improve their level of living standard with much reliance on their own initiative and priority as possible on the provision of technical and other services in a way that will encourage efficiency and effectiveness in development of the communities. However the term conflict means misunderstanding, controversy and situation that is so un-conducive to people and their programmes. Why resolution is a process that involves discussion or dialogue to bring to an end of any conflict and restore harmony in our organization finally to identify the evolution of my case of study “Ivo Local Government area in Ebonyi State was created out from old Ohazara in formal Imo State and located in Ebonyi south. It is made up of two communities which are Isiagu and Akaeze
Interpersonal communication has helped immensely in resolving of conflicts and as well encourage development in Ivo Local government Area entirely such conflicts resolved and development achieved can be list as follows settlement of political crisis, interperty crisis that erupted in Akaze in the year 2003 and other communal conflict and land dispute between the two communities. On the other hand development achieved can be enumerated as follows; building of maternity home, hospital, school, pipe borne water, market etc which promote the standard of living of the people within the local government
The researcher wants to look at problems conflict and controversies which exist in Ivo Local government area how it have hinder development. The problems will be stated as follows;
- The political crisis that exist between the two communities that made up the local government in struggle of who will emerge as he local government chairman.
- The land dispute which erupted within the two communities in 1991 and other communal crisis.
- Problem of bad road bad water electricity etc.
- The problem of identifying felt need.
These research questions will be enumerated as follows;
- What effort has interpersonal communication made towards resolving of political crisis in Ivo Local government area?
- To what extent has interpersonal communication been used as a means of identifying the felt need of the people?
- How far has conflict withhold the development of the community?
- What was the role played by interpersonal communication as a means of dialogue and discussion during 1991 land crisis between Akaeze and Isiagu?
The main purpose of this research topic is to know interpersonal communication has contributed immensely in the resolution of communal conflict, political crisis land dispute and other controversies in Ivo local government area and it effort in developing the communities within Ivo.
Moreover to determine the extent to which rural dwellers in Ivo local government adhered to interpersonal communication as a means of conflict resolution and community development.
The following hypothesis was formulated to guide the study
Ho: interpersonal communication make no effort towards resolving political crisis in Ivo Local government area.
Hi: interpersonal communication made effort towards resolving of political crisis in Ivo local government area
Ho: conflict has not withheld the development of the community
Hi: conflict has withheld the development of the community.
Ho: Dialogue and negotiation have never been a means of settling conflict and identifying felt need of the community.
Hi: dialogue and negotiation have been a means of settling conflict and identifying the felt need of the community.
Ho: community leaders and peace committee have not adhered to interpersonal communication as a means of discussion.
Hi: community leaders and peace committee have adhere to interpersonal communication as a means of discussion.
- SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study is out to inform people from Ivo local government area the impact of interpersonal communication in resolving of conflict and development of the two communities that made Ivo local government. The main impact of interpersonal communication in Ivo L.G.A can be seen below.
- Resolving of “2003) political crisis through the help of interpersonal communication political crisis erupted in Ivo L.G.A was successfully resolved.
- Since people from Ivo L.G.A adopted the system as a means of resolving conflict and other minor controversies there is a decrease in conflict and increase in development because peace within them.
The scope of this study is to find out the problem and controversies that exists and how those problems have hinder development on one hand. On the other hand, how interpersonal communication will be use as means of solving them and enhancing development. I this topic the researcher will limit the scope of the study in the following groups of people, community leaders, peace committee, development union, the councilors, farmer, unemployed persons and students from various community that make up Ivo Local government area.
In a research project of this nature, it is difficult to complete the work without going through numerous of factors which constituted impediments. The impediment will be time and money. This resulted in the researcher not being able to gather the entire questionnaire distributed and not being able to print as much questionnaire as may be required in this work.
To expand the knowledge of the reader of this research work the following term will be defined.
- Interpersonal communication: Interpersonal communication is the type of communication which occurs between two persons in a face to face communication encounter. He added that during interpersonal communication contact, its made between persons one act as a sender or source, the other act as a receiver or decoder with immediate feedback. According to Okunna (1999: 15) this is the type of communication that take place when two or more individuals are involved mostly in a face to face situation with immediate feedback.
- Conflict: According to oxford advanced learners dictionary 6th edition which defins conflict as the opposition or disagreement, fight struggle and quarrel.
- Resolution according to the same dictionary which defines resolution as the act of resolving and settling problems dispute and other related controversies.
- Community development: According to Onwuka (2008:13) he defines community development as the process by which effort the people themselves are united with those government authority to improve the economic, social and cultural condition of the communities to integrate those communities into life of the nation to enable them contribute fully to the national progress.
IVO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA: Ivo L.G.A is presently in Ebonyi south and was created from old Ohazara. A local government in 4th republic during the regime of Abdusalam Abubakar.
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