A Critical Discourse Study of Linguistic Choices of Select Nigerian Nairaland Online Readers’ Comments and Media Influence on 2023 Fuel Subsidy Removal

Abstract

Despite efforts of hypothesizing, formulating and instigating of various types of economic policies and programmes, the African economy has remained underdeveloped. The present status of the Nigerian economy, particularly, how policies are initiated and removed calls for a worry and serves as one of the major reasons this research is conducted. As generally known, every identified problem comes with possible identified solutions. It is reaffirmed that media and language are fundamental and crucial for economic development in any economy. Therefore, this study seeks to emphasize the role of mass media and language use in online users’ comments on 2023 fuel subsidy removal and its sustainability. The study is anchored on critical stylistics, the theory of functionalism and systemic functional grammar. This is based on the importance of context in language analysis and the role that the mass media play in national development. The paper, therefore, argues that for development to be witnessed in Nigeria, corruption, political instability, illiteracy, poor implementation of policies, poor infrastructures must be addressed and language and media are pivotal in economic sustainability.