Nigeria faces crisis of meaning, language manipulation – UNN don, Agbedo
A renowned Professor of Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, Chris Uchenna Agbedo, has declared that most of the governance challenges plaguing Nigeria are rooted in a crisis of meaning and language manipulation. Agbedo stated this while delivering the university’s 255th inaugural lecture, titled “WordMatters: Sociolinguistic Calculus as Praxis for…
Renowned Professor of Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr. Chris Uchenna Agbedo, has declared that Nigeria's governance issues stem from a crisis of meaning and language manipulation. Dr. Agbedo made this statement during his university's 255th inaugural lecture titled "WordMatters: Sociolinguistic Calculus as Praxis for Interrogating Linguistic Banditry and Banditisation of Nigeria."
The lecture, held at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium and Theatre, attracted a large audience comprising university officials, academic and non-teaching staff, students, government representatives, traditional leaders, and prominent figures.
Dr. Agbedo identified language manipulation as a major underlying cause of Nigeria's governance challenges and emphasized the need for linguistic honesty, accountability, and greater civic awareness. He argued that language is not merely a tool to describe reality but also shapes social perceptions, distributes power, and influences how individuals understand governance and public affairs.
Dr. Agbedo introduced Sociolinguistic Calculus (SLC), an analytical framework to examine how meanings evolve in different contexts, how language serves specific interests, and how patterns of linguistic manipulation become normalized in society. He differentiated between linguistic banditry, the deliberate distortion or appropriation of meaning to mislead and advance certain interests, and banditisation, the process by which such practices become widespread and institutionalized.
Through examples from political and governance discourse, Dr. Agbedo explained how public officials and influential actors could use language to shift responsibility, hide failures, and legitimize questionable actions. He also presented the Sociolinguistic Liberation Thesis, Universal Appropriation Grammar (UAG), and Governance Optimality Theory (GOT) as frameworks to analyze the relationship between language, power, institutional choices, and accountability.
To address the issue, Dr. Agbedo proposed Remedial Sociolinguistic Calculus (RSLC) as a framework to restore clarity of meaning, reclaim linguistic agency, and challenge the manipulation of public discourse. He also revealed the Krisagbedo Linguistic Engine (KLiEN), an AI-enabled platform designed to detect, analyze, and clarify linguistic manipulation. KLiEN aims to help citizens scrutinize public claims and comprehend language usage without infringing on individual judgment or imposing censorship.
Furthermore, Dr. Agbedo introduced Visual Pragmatics, an emerging field that explores how images, cartoons, memes, and other visual materials convey meaning, ideology, and power. He stressed that the corruption of meaning can precede and facilitate the corruption of institutions, noting that constitutions, elections, and courts could lose their essence if the language and purposes of these institutions are distorted.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Post Nigeria's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
