The book publishing arm of Premium Times Group, Premium Times Books, has unveiled a new publication, Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria.
Authored by Dr. Omoniyi Ibietan, Head of Media Relations Management at Nigerian Communications Communication (NCC), the book is officially making its way to physical and online bookshops in a unique alignment with the symbolic rituals of June 12, Nigeria’s Democracy Day.
The 460-page and 12-chapter work gives expression to a critical phase within the distinct trajectory of Nigerian democracy through its elections.
A statement noted: “Like June 12, which created a watershed in the country as Nigerians sought to rupture the yoke of military rule through the ballot, this book by Omoniyi Ibietan engages with another national watershed moment, as the nascent digital culture involving Internet use, and particularly the social media, converges with the articulation of voter choice, ultimately impacting Nigeria’s electoral fortunes in the process.
“The 2015 presidential election is utilised as the sounding board from which analyses that offer great insights into the future of voting behaviour in the country are made in this new title, that is both skilful in its rendition and ground-cutting in its intellectual approach.”
In an Introduction he wrote for the book, the Chief Executive Officer of Premium Times Group, Dapo Olorunyomi, said: “The universe of this new book is intriguing in its exploration of the “digital effect on elections.”
He also pointed out how Ibietan’s work demonstrates “clearly that social media systems do enrich electoral democracy by expanding access to registration, participation, voting and organising at a scale we have never contemplated.”
Olorunyomi went on: “In the context of the Nigerian market framework, we also get to appreciate, through his lenses, the comparative appeal of each of the social channels. WhatsApp is the battle axe, while Twitter, hysterical though it is, remains limited.
“Also, Ibietan demonstrates how Facebook appeals to age and its abstract commitment to attention and community makes its credentials for advancing democracy a suspect.”
Equally, in his foreword to the book, NCC’s Executive Vice Chairman, Prof. Umar Danbatta, observed: “The author situates the historical context of Nigerian politics
and democracy, and more so, the nexus between social media and voting behaviour, and the influence of the social media ecosystem among others in the electoral process.”
The administrator added: “The book is a compelling
narrative, a scholar’s guide and companion on the various political communication themes it interprets. It is difficult to put down this work once you are drawn by its alluring and free-flowing prose and incisive analysis.”
To prominent commentator, who is also a former Minister of Information and Communication, Frank Nweke Jnr, “the book represents an uncommon body of work by an intellectual visionary,” and he is of the conviction that the “extrapolation of the lessons and recommendations of this book will find perfect expression in other
climes beyond the 2015 Nigerian general elections scenario.”
Nweke, therefore, commended “Dr Ibietan for this remarkable work” and recommended “this book for practitioners and academics in the fields of strategic
communications, new technologies and social change.”
The author holds a doctorate in Political Communication from North-West University, South Africa, and
earlier degrees in Communication Arts from the Universities of Uyo and Ibadan.
With a career spanning journalism, stints in the civil society and academia, he is presently a directorate cadre staff at NCC.
Over the past two decades, Ibietan has researched deeply into the emergent interface between communication studies and psephology, which explains his richly, nuanced understanding and far-sight into issues involved.
