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Critical Discourse Analysis of National Centre for Disease Control Messages On COVID-19 in Nigeria
Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities · Area of research: Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I4-1711431-4830
Abstract
Health Messages on SARS COVID-19 during the pandemic proliferated the Nigerian media space with information on the causes and dangers posed by the deadly Corona Virus. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and a presidential Taskforce made concerted efforts in creating awareness about the disease through daily updates on mortality, recovery and infection rates across the country. The mainstream media, with support from local and foreign donors, also designed several educational health messages on risks and vulnerability factors associated with the Corona Virus. Regrettably, misconceptions on risk and vulnerability factors associated with the virus still persist spawning a pandemic narrative that contradicts what is obtainable in scientific literature. Against this background, this study examined the ideological underpinnings in National Centre for Disease Control Messages on Covid-19 in Nigeria with a view to enhance the quality of data health messages on diseases are framed. A qualitative research design that combines Content-based Analytical Approach and Critical Discourse Analysis (Wodak& Meyer, 2015, Wodak & Fairclough, 2013; Bednarek, 2006) was adopted for the study. The first step of the analysis was a Language Audit that involved the identification of specific critical discoursal features namely: Perspectivization, Focalization, Topoi, Metaphor, Semantic Prosody in the selected Educational Health Messages. The second step is a Thematic Content Analysis that involved transcribing, coding and classifying selected themes in the data. Data to be derived from the textual analysis and thematic analysis were used to explain how risks and vulnerability to SARS COVID-19 are construed in health messages. Results of the analyses was then used to determine whether risk in Health Messages on SARS COVID-19 is associated with the following variables: a dangerous disease that has no cure and is contagious [D; nC; C] or whether vulnerability to SARS COVID-19 can be determined by Age, Race, Region and Gender [A; R1; R2 G]. The public health implications of the expected findings will be discussed in respect to (a) global mis-information on the SARS COVID-19 pandemic, (b) Health Education/Advocacy in Nigeria (c) perception of risk and vulnerability in pandemic discourse on SARS Covid-19. It is anticipated that the findings derived from the study would significantly enhance the quality of data on which health programs are designed. It would also guide researchers to rework their theoretical assumptions and frameworks as they embark on new empirical and theoretical inquiries on the SARS COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords
Risk; Vulnerability; COVID-19 Pandemic Narrative; Critical Discourse Analysis
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How to cite this paper
@article{1711431,
author = {Jamila Abdulazeez Buba, Dr. Hamzah Abdurraheem, Dr. W. O. Salawdeen},
title = {Critical Discourse Analysis of National Centre for Disease Control Messages On COVID-19 in Nigeria},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2025},
volume = {9},
number = {4},
pages = {1020-1028},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1711431.pdf},
abstract = {Health Messages on SARS COVID-19 during the pandemic proliferated the Nigerian media space with information on the causes and dangers posed by the deadly Corona Virus. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and a presidential Taskforce made concerted efforts in creating awareness about the disease through daily updates on mortality, recovery and infection rates across the country. The mainstream media, with support from local and foreign donors, also designed several educational health messages on risks and vulnerability factors associated with the Corona Virus. Regrettably, misconceptions on risk and vulnerability factors associated with the virus still persist spawning a pandemic narrative that contradicts what is obtainable in scientific literature. Against this background, this study examined the ideological underpinnings in National Centre for Disease Control Messages on Covid-19 in Nigeria with a view to enhance the quality of data health messages on diseases are framed. A qualitative research design that combines Content-based Analytical Approach and Critical Discourse Analysis (Wodak& Meyer, 2015, Wodak & Fairclough, 2013; Bednarek, 2006) was adopted for the study. The first step of the analysis was a Language Audit that involved the identification of specific critical discoursal features namely: Perspectivization, Focalization, Topoi, Metaphor, Semantic Prosody in the selected Educational Health Messages. The second step is a Thematic Content Analysis that involved transcribing, coding and classifying selected themes in the data. Data to be derived from the textual analysis and thematic analysis were used to explain how risks and vulnerability to SARS COVID-19 are construed in health messages. Results of the analyses was then used to determine whether risk in Health Messages on SARS COVID-19 is associated with the following variables: a dangerous disease that has no cure and is contagious [D; nC; C] or whether vulnerability to SARS COVID-19 can be determined by Age, Race, Region and Gender [A; R1; R2 G]. The public health implications of the expected findings will be discussed in respect to (a) global mis-information on the SARS COVID-19 pandemic, (b) Health Education/Advocacy in Nigeria (c) perception of risk and vulnerability in pandemic discourse on SARS Covid-19. It is anticipated that the findings derived from the study would significantly enhance the quality of data on which health programs are designed. It would also guide researchers to rework their theoretical assumptions and frameworks as they embark on new empirical and theoretical inquiries on the SARS COVID-19 pandemic.},
keywords = {Risk; Vulnerability; COVID-19 Pandemic Narrative; Critical Discourse Analysis},
month = {October},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I4-1711431-4830}
}