RHETORICAL STRATEGIES AND FRAMING OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IN NIGERIA AS REFLECTED IN ONLINE CITIZENS' DISCOURSE ON NAIRALAND FORUM

Abstract

This study investigates the rhetorical strategies and framing of economic hardship in Nigeria as reflected in online citizens' discourse on Nairaland Forum. The study adopted van Dijk's socio-cognitive model (SMC) and Entman’s framing theory. It explores how users employ language to construct and contest narratives of national suffering. Furthermore, through the observation method, data were drawn from twenty-eight (28) threads of comments under four news headlines related to Nigeria’s economic challenges, covering the period between 2023 and 2025. The qualitative method was used to analyse the selected posts and comments. Findings reveal that ‘us’ versus ‘them’ polarisation is discursively sustained through name-calling/abusive labelling, metaphorization, and persuasive appeals such as pathos, ethos, and logos. Findings further revealed that users strategically define the problem as economic mismanagement, diagnose its causes in elite negligence and technocratic detachment, make ethical assessments that attribute leadership failure, and propose solutions centred on reforms and improved public welfare. The study concludes that rhetorical and framing strategies not only express citizens' frustration but also reproduce elements of the ideology of endurance and reform, which frames hardship as both a national trial and a call for transformative government. Finally, the study concludes that rhetorical strategies function as a site for ideological negotiation and ethical assessment, revealing the power of everyday digital communication in shaping public perception of economic realities in Nigeria.