Agbedo advocates linguistic emancipation, accountability in Nigeria

From Felix Ikem, Nsukka
A Professor of Sociolinguistics and Psycholinguistics at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof. Chris Uchenna Agbedo, has called for linguistic emancipation, warning that Nigeria’s challenges are not only political, economic and institutional but also rooted in the deliberate manipulation and distortion of meaning.
Agbedo said the misuse of language in public discourse could conceal wrongdoing, distort reality, undermine accountability and weaken citizens’ understanding of governance.
He made the call on Thursday in Nsukka while delivering UNN’s 255th Inaugural Lecture, entitled “WordMatters: Sociolinguistic Calculus as Praxis for Interrogating Lingui...