2013 ASUU Strike Discourses in Nigeria: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Over a decade now, educational and socioeconomic developments in Nigeria have largely become trapped in a gap between language of truth and ideological use of the language in the discourses about (incessant) Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strikes. The ideologies in the 2013 ASUU strike discourses in Nigeria seem to be the highest since the history of ASUU strikes in Nigeria. Earlier researchers have investigated some discourses relating to 2013 ASUU strikes but the analysis on the embedded ideologies has hardly been examined properly. This study therefore seeks to identify and analyse some ideological use of the language in the 2013 ASUU strike discourses in Nigeria. Data were collected mostly from the web pages of the Internet: Through van Dijk’s (2001) models of critical discourse analysis (CDA), the paper identify some mental models (ideologies) of language use in the discourses. The paper therefore recommends that language of truth in discourses, appropriate language use in print media by political commentators and newspaper columnists, and peaceful dialogue between the government and ASUU is pivotal in averting future ASUU strikes in Nigeria. The result of this study can have immediate application to areas of education, and socioeconomic development in Nigeria and beyond.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n2p435