Evaluating the Role of Creative Arts in the National Orientation Agency’s Community Communication Programmes

The National Orientation Agency deploys community theatre, storytelling, and visual communication as tools for civic education and behaviour change communication, and professionally evaluating the effectiveness of these creative arts-based approaches provides evidence for programme improvement and arts-for-development policy. This study evaluated the effectiveness of creative arts methods in NOA community communication programmes in Plateau, Kano, and Delta States, representing North Central, North West, and South South geopolitical zones. A programme evaluation design was employed, combining documentary analysis of NOA programme records, structured interviews with 18 NOA state and LGA officers, focus groups with 36 community beneficiaries across the three states, and participant observation at six NOA community outreach sessions. Evaluation dimensions covered creative arts method deployment frequency, artistic quality standards, community engagement outcomes, message retention, and cultural sensitivity. Results showed that community theatre was the dominant creative arts method (deployed in 83.3 percent of observed outreach sessions), while music and visual installation were rarely used. Message recall from theatre-based sessions was significantly higher than from lecture-based sessions reported by participants (72.2 percent versus 38.9 percent). Artistic quality was rated as adequate by only 44.4 percent of evaluators. Cultural language sensitivity was inconsistent across zones, with Kano programmes showing stronger Hausa cultural integration than Delta or Plateau programmes. The study recommends professional creative arts training for NOA community mobilisation officers and collaboration with theatre and performance arts departments at Nigerian universities.

Keywords: creative arts communication, National Orientation Agency, community theatre, civic education, NOA evaluation