Music as Communication in Promoting War against Drug Abuse

Abstract

Music is as old as humanity. It has been in existence from time immemorial in the entertainment industry. Music is a veritable source of communication as it is a formidable tool the media use to communicate fast to people on areas of discourse like the fight against drug abuse. Music is one of the most powerful ways to influence, enhance, educate or destroy people’s minds especially with youths. It can make possible good things as well as enhance negative emotions. In Nigeria, a lot of crimes being committed today are done under the influence of drug and this call for taking more stringent measures to tackle drug abuse in Nigeria. The media through their entertainment role use music to disseminate information and entertain the audience. Regarding to drug abuse, people see music as a tool that promotes drug abuse. It is, therefore, the position of this paper to consider the notion that music is also an indispensable tool used by the media to curb out the war against drug abuse. The paper is hinged on Individual difference and Agenda setting theories and it deploys the discourse analysis method. The paper concludes and recommends that music is a powerful communication force to promote war against drug abuse and a measure for behavioral change on drug addicts. The paper suggested that government should use the media through music to mobilize the citizenry against the menace of drug abuse and the government in partnership with the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) should ban any music that promotes drug abuse in Nigeria so as to reduce the increased rate of drug addicts and abusers in the country.