




































180 

 

Uncensored Language of Social Media News, Videos and 

Pictures as a Source of Insecurity in Nigeria: the Anambra 

State Example 

 

Ifeanyi E. Ofor1  Greg O. Obiamalu2 

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka 

ifeanyiofor3@gmail.com1  go.obiamalu@unizik.edu.ng2 

 

 

Abstract 

Uncensored language of the social media is a serious threat to the 

security and wellbeing of Nigeria and Anambra State in particular. 

Censorship is the art of editing and controlling the language that 

maybe used in the publication of any material (oral or written) for 

human consumption. This study investigates the dangerous effects 

lack of censoring the language of the social media thrusts on the 

security of Nigeria and Anambra State in particular, from the 

perspective of J. L. Austin’s 1962 Speech Acts theory. The theory 

sees language as an activity in the context of Performative Acts 

which when applied can trigger a lot of either negative or positive 

social action. A lot of ills have taken place and several unhealthy 

groups have been formed due to uncontrolled use of language in 

Nigeria social media space. Prior to the existence of digital 

appliances as the mobile phones and use of social media; anger, 

hate, aggression, banditry, religious bigotry, agitations and 

violence were comparatively low. The prevalent insecurity is caused 

by the untamed use of misguided, raw and unedited language and 

digital manipulations to trigger violence in the society. The 

unguarded language of uncensored information has created various 

restive and aggressive groups such as IPOB, Fulani Herdsmen, 

mailto:ifeanyiofor3@gmail.com1
mailto:go.obiamalu@unizik.edu.ng2


          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

181 

 

Militants, UnKnown Gun Men (UGM), Kidnappers, Yahoo boys, 

Ritualists, e.t.c. that were never in existence but now unleashing 

mayhem and death in the society. Social media videos, pictures, and 

news reportage can be censored through creating awareness, 

integrating the use of social media in the curriculum for our youths, 

government promulgation of rules to litigate offenders, redirecting 

our youths and empowering them financially among others. It is the 

belief of the researcher that if that had been done, the debacle at the 

inauguration of the Anambra State Governor, H.E. Prof. Chukwuma 

C. Soludo could have been averted from the public domain. 

Keywords: speech Acts, social media, electronic media, 

video/news/pictures, censorship, uncensorship, insecurity 

 

1. Introduction  

A lot has been written on the increasing challenges of the social 

media; a fallout of the digital era, but less attention has been drawn 

to the effect the language of the social media has on insecurity in 

recent times. Prior to the advent of social media, information is 

critically edited by relevant authorities before it reaches the public 

domain. Information, according to Malcolm (1977:70), which 

represents public opinions originate from two vital sources - the 

public at large and the Elite, is heavily laden with public emotions. 

Such information if not edited or censored will have “prejudice and 

tradition heavily into it, making it, not infrequently, unreasoning, 

volatile, impulsive…” Information and communication are filtered 

to the society through language. Language is a psychological or 

cognitive property of humans (Carnie, 2007:3) which has far 

reaching effects on human communication and actions. It can be 

defined from several perspectives. However, each definition relates 

to vocal or non-vocal expressions, all aligning to human utterances 

and communication and the effects from each. In Mey’s (2006:6) 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

182 

 

opinion, communication in society happens chiefly by means of 

language. Communication is seen as a speech act in which 

utterances presupposes the speech action of the addresser to the 

addressee. Speech acts, according to Mey (2006:95), is an activity 

that brings about a change in the existing state of affairs. In other 

words, the way we communicate has a lot of influence in the way 

we think or act. People’s thoughts are therefore activated by their 

culture and what they come in contact with. Language could thus be 

said to mirror culture and peoples’ way of life. 

Communication on the other hand can be manual or 

electronic. In this paper, our concentration is on electronic art of 

communication as regards to news, videos and pictures. The 

influence of language on these media sources cannot be 

overemphasized. Communication consists of four fundamental 

elements according to Konkwo (1997:5). They are the 

communicator, the message, the medium and the recipient. These 

four elements can positively or negatively influence the total output 

according to the language used. Presently, there are several sources 

of electronic media that are available to all ages. The most common 

denominator is the mobile phone, followed closely by television. 

However, between the two, mobile phone is the least censored. It is 

evident that without proper ethical standard or censorship, these 

sources can cause insecurity in the system through the choice of 

language in use. The choice of language in disseminating 

information is determined by the action of the Media practitioner 

and what he intends to achieve. Media practitioners, according to 

Jubril (1985:28), can influence and set our linguistic norms to a 

greater extent than they realize. Eze (2009:238) explains that some 

of these media especially Film/Video have immense power to 

influence the viewer to do either good or bad. A learning ethics thus 

says “what a child hears, he forgets, what a child does he 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

183 

 

knows/learns and what a child sees he remembers”. Then, is it not 

proper that what a child and even an adult see should be censored 

for him to learn positively and productively? This will automatically 

discipline the child and make him a responsible adult.  

This study focuses on the effects language of the social 

media news, pictures and videos has on insecurity in the society 

using the theoretical framework of Speech Acts theory proposed by 

J. L. Austin (1962) adopting the performative utterance proposition. 

Speech Acts is the activity or actions that go with our utterances. It 

is concerned with what utterances do, how they can be used and 

most importantly, with how we can use them in conversation 

(Wardhaugh 2000; Searle 1969; Levinson 1979; Verschueren 1999; 

Agbedo 2002). Wardhaugh (2000:280) summarizes that speech acts 

“changes in some way the conditions that exist in the world.” 

The researcher believes that the theoretical framework is apt for 

the analysis because, of the three propositional utterance analysis 

which borders on semantic-pragmatics interface - constantive 

utterance, phatic utterance and performative utterance; the latter 

concerns itself with how a person is not just saying something but is 

actually doing something if certain real-world conditions are met. 

According to Saeed (2007:224), the action in perfomative utterances 

are identified by the first verb in the sentence. Saeed (2007) notes 

further that performative utterances do not indicate true or false 

proposition but pragmatically seeks to find whether the utterances 

carry any force of action, whether the action works or not and if they 

constitute a successful warning. When these conditions are met, 

Austin (1962) terms it to have met the felicity conditions and 

otherwise, it becomes infelicitious. It is evident as can be seen in the 

‘declarations’ made by these insecurity groups that the choice of 

their language not only carry force of actions but are also 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

184 

 

intimidating, aggressive, violent, warning and prone to negative 

repercussions if not carried out.  

 

2. Theoretical Review 

2.1 Speech Acts 

Speech acts is a theory proposed by J. L. Austin (1962) and 

developed by Searle (1969). Speech acts supports the theory that 

most utterances carry with it some elements of force and compliance 

as its response. It revolves on how the hearer perceives a particular 

utterance and the force that accompanies such utterance. Saeed 

(2007:223) describes the response in three related assumptions: that 

the basic sentence type in language is declarative, designate a state 

of affairs and the meaning of the utterance may have a true/false 

proposition. Searle (1969:23-24) notes that we ‘perform different 

types of acts when we speak’. Further, in utterances we make use 

locutions, that is, express intent from a speaker, such that the 

utterances can function when an illocutionary force is applied.  

Speech acts, according to Wardhaugh (2000:281), has three 

types of utterances in a proposition: 

a. Constative Utterance: The utterance reveals happenings in a 

possible world. The proposition elicits true/false 

propositions. Example: ‘Are you sick?’, ‘Your dinner is 

ready!’ 

b. Phatic Utterance: This has an Ethical type of proposition in 

which stative statements are made. It has an affective value. 

Example: ‘Do have a nice day’, ‘Thou shall not kill’. 

c. Performative Utterance: Utterances in this group demand a 

follow-up action. It could be a warning, an instruction to be 

carried out or a promise to be fullfiled. Austin (1975) notes 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

185 

 

that performative utterance must meet certain conditions for 

effect known as felicity or otherwise, infelicity conditions. 

Austin (1975) further divides the Speech Acts into three categories 

of force which the social media aggression leverages on – the 

locutions. Locutions, according to Searle (1969) in Wardhaugh 

(2000:282), designate “some intents which a speaker has.” They are: 

Locutionary, Illocutionary and Perlocutionary acts. 

a. Locutionary Force: This is the utterance the speaker makes 

from the addresser to the addressee. It has meaning 

according to the perception and understanding of the 

receiver.  

b. Illocutionary Force: This is the type of force accompanying 

each utterance. It can come in form of a request, question or 

offer and can be versed with different degrees of feelings, 

emotions, tones and attitudes. 

c. Perlocutionary Force: This implies the extent to which the 

speaker achieves with the utterance made. It is the change or 

effect of the locution on the addressee.  

2.2 Social Media 

Social Media came into existence through the introduction of 

information and communication technology (ICT). The need for 

technological growth and ease of communication made possible the 

birth of electronic social media. Onwuchekwa (2021:146) notes that 

social media is self-serving “technoself” and a change from 

traditional electronic media such as television and radio. He 

enumerated some social media applications as: WhatsApp, Zoom, 

Telegrams, Chitchat, Xender, Googles, Video players, Snapchat, 

TikTok, FaceBook, Instagram, e-mails, Camera, Twitter, Pinterest, 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

186 

 

Blogging, Networking, Linkedin, YouTube, Wikipedia, e.t.c. These 

social media appliances can be assessed by anyone from children to 

adult who has access to android mobile phones, laptops, palmtops 

or iPads. They are personalized and can be manipulated by any 

digitally literate person. Nwabueze (2009:170) describes social 

media as “media that use web-based technologies to transform and 

broadcast media monologues into social dialogues”. In the author’s 

summation, social media is equivalent to ‘attention age’ in which 

information are freely and instantly created, consumed and shared 

with the social media community on the internet. This is why it is 

difficult to be censored and the urgent need for censorship. 

2.3 Electronic Media:  Video, News and Pictures 

These are some of the agents of communication and types of 

electronic media. Ofor (2012:2) states that the three major types of 

electronic media are: radio (news), television (news, videos and 

pictures) and film (movies). It is further noted here that even the 

News media associated more with the print media is now assessed 

electronically. He maintains that electronic media has the advantage 

of wider publication and audience. Ofor and Obiorah (2014:265) 

also note that its use as agents of communication in a civilized 

society are restricted by certain ethics which contains censoring the 

information disseminated to the public. Ethics, therefore, are the 

rules, principles and moral values guiding individual or group 

conduct. The essence of these principles is that all information must 

be censored before release to the public. 

2.4 Censor and Censorship 

Censor is an agent of control. Censorship can be seen as a weapon 

used by government and its agencies, organisations, companies, 

institutions, arms of government, religious bodies, e.t.c., to control 

the dissemination of information to the public. It can also be 

summarized as a type of control measures of restricting, controlling, 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

187 

 

banning or deleting in part or in whole, of the press as it might 

infringe on the rights of the citizens for the purpose of security. 

Some countries employ censorship as a counterintelligence measure 

by which government control any information in the public domain 

that could be destructive or adversely affect the citizenry through 

outright deletion or ban. The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 

(2015:236) defines censor as a person whose job is to examine 

books, films/movies, e.t.c and remove parts which are considered to 

be offensive, immoral or a political threat. No wonder most 

films/videos are usually seen with an inscription from the foreign or 

Nigerian Censorship Board (NBC) as; “above 18” or “for adults 

above 18 only” or “for those below the age 13 or 16”. At other times, 

the social media censor also go with the warning “viewer’s 

discretion is advised”!  

2.5 The Importance of Censorship and Censoring Social 

Media Materials  

The Code of Ethics for Nigerian Journalists (1988), Section 5 states; 

“A journalist should not present lurid details, either in words or 

picture of violence, sexual acts and abhorrent or horrid scenes”. This 

section of the Nigerian constitution restricts some information from 

entering the public domain advertently or inadvertently, failure of 

which, is litigable. This is done to among other things: 

 respect the citizen’s privacy 

 reinforce civilization and civility 

 protect children and minors from ugly exposure 

 reduce marital problems 

 create good and responsible citizens 

 reduce abuse and trauma and 

 create an enabling environment for rearing and training our 

young ones. 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

188 

 

Some of the censored issues are based on: 

1. Family unity spearheaded by husband and wife 

2. Issues on Rape  

3. Minors/Underaged 

4. A moral reports 

2.6 Insecurity 

Insecurity is an after effect of violence in the system. Violence is 

any action intended to hurt, maim or kill somebody. Violence could 

come in form of physical abuse, verbal or mental abuse. Insecurity 

is an expression of lack of confidence, anxiety, instability, 

uncertainity in ourselves and our environments. According to Eze 

(2009:239), human beings express violence either as a result of 

biological disposition, psychological or socio-economic 

dispositions. Insecurity, therefore, is a state of fear motivated by 

physical, emotional, mental and domestic violence. It is intended to 

suppress, intimidate and instill fear in others through the act of 

violence. Insecurity could be perpetrated by an individual, group of 

individuals, military, civilians, protesters, thugs and molesters.  

 

3. Data Presentation and Analysis 

Uncensored social media is a documentary without rules or ethics 

and which choice of language could constitute serious threats to 

security in any country. Information and communication technology 

(ICT) is an elitist profession where information and language of 

dissemination are censored and graded according to the age, 

maturity, intellectual capability and relevance to the culture and 

language of the reading public. Information includes, video 

coverage, pictures, data, interviews, dialogue and press briefings of 

both public, private official and personal information which 

otherwise ought to be private. In Anambra state, since the 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

189 

 

information technology of the Android phones was birthed into 

existence, vile information such as pictures, video clips of killings, 

rape of her women and children, pornography (child and adult), 

threats to life and properties, mental abuse, incessant destruction of 

homes, crops, agricultural farmlands have become causes of 

aggression and violence in the hands of the amateur. The 

provocations caused by this exposure have done more harm than 

good in the society. The inability to moderate the information causes 

retaliation and compounded insecurity. The digitally literate ones in 

the society manipulate people’s emotion using these uncensored 

means by changing and recreating at will, the environment in the 

direction of most provocative videos and pictures thereby inflicting 

and unleashing mayhem even war could not create.  

 Research indicates that television and radio stations whose 

language, videos, news and pictures are ably censored are controlled 

by the government. Even, private Media Station’s information 

dissemination is also censored by the government Censorship 

Boards and any offensive language could cause sanction or closure. 

It is no news that all government press releases, circulars, memoirs, 

pictures and videos are censored. As a matter of fact, to avoid the 

invasion of privacy and the nascent uncontrolled use of social 

media, coverage of events in government establishments especially 

governor’s offices, lodges and meetings are strictly and adequately 

censored. Recently, the need for censorship played out at the 

inauguration of the current Anambra State Governor, His Excellency, 

Prof. Charles Soludo. The altercation between the former first lady, 

Mrs. Ebelechukwu Obiano and Amb. Bianca Ojukwu, the wife of 

the late Anambra state warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu 

Ojukwu, is a case study. The inauguration witnessed government 

approved photographer and video cameraman covering the event. 

However, by the time the show of shame erupted, the moderator 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

190 

 

could only control the government approved news, video and 

pictures. Within a twinkle of an eye, the whole world has witnessed 

the unedited, raw and uncensored information from private mobile 

phones.  

The uncensored information in our social media appliances 

have become serious security challenges to the people more than the 

actual aggression itself. The result of the uncensored social media 

creation is the rise of sectional, economic, regional and religious 

monsters in Anambra state. These are the IPOB, Miyetti Allah, 

Amotekun, herdsmen, Unknown Gunmen, cult groups, bandits, 

kidnappers, cultists, Yahooboys, yahooplus and ritualists. The 

author believes that until censorship laws are made and 

promulgated, there might not be calm.  

This study looks at the properties we introduce when we 

make utterances and the force of the language we introduce so that 

actions can match utterances in a conversation. The study applies 

the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a qualitative methodology 

which is apt in dissecting the different performative utterances of 

the social media in propagating aggression in the society. It also 

adopts the Speech Acts theory by J. L. Austin (1962) as the 

theoretical framework. Data are obtained from the various unedited, 

unregulated, uncensored on-line video clips, news and pictures by 

the various groups to the public. These groups introduced the 

language of violence as a resort to achieving their aims through 

social media videos, voice notes and pictures. Below are some of the 

many ‘declarations’ and ‘utterances’ which were made by the 

groups  and carried out by the public out of fear by the masses and 

even the government unofficially. 

3.1 The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) 

3.1.1 Video and News Declarations/Utterances 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

191 

 

Indigenous People of Biafra popularly known as IPOB is a separatist 

group founded by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu of Igbo origin, with the aim 

of realizing the independence of the Republic of Biafra in the 

southeast geopolitical zone. They have made declarations and 

utterances at various times in sync with the militancy of the group. 

Below are some of the performative utterances: 

a. Sit – at - home 

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) declares every Monday Sit-

at-home starting from Monday, August 9th 2021 until Nnamdi Kanu 

is released from prison. The group Media and Publicity Secretary, 

Emma Powerful declares: 

i. “… We the global family of IPOB, wish to announce 

that every Monday has been declared a ghost 

Monday. ” 

ii. “This declaration takes effect from Monday, August 

9, 2021. From that day Biafraland will be on 

lockdown every Monday from 6.00am to 6.00pm 

until our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu who was 

unlawfully abducted in Kenya and illegally detained 

by the Federal Government is released” 

iii.  “Nobody should attempt to flout this directive as 

doing so may come with huge consequences. 

Anybody flouting this order is taking a big risk” 

b. Warning to politicians from South-East against 

sabotage: 

Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a criminal and has rights to be 

visited in their custody;  

iv. “This is a call for Biafran leaders, politicians 

especially those mentioned as those behind his 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

192 

 

abduction and extradition to Nigeria, if anything 

happens to our leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, all of 

them should prepare never to come back to 

Biafraland because it will not accommodate us 

together.” 

c. No Nigerian flag on any South-Eastern establishment 

(Biafraland) and October 1st Declaration:  

IPOB declares not only sit-at-home but also none 

identification with the Nigerian Independence Day 

celebration of 1st October and removal of the Nigerian Flag 

in any institution such as government establishments, 

companies, banks, schools, churches, e.t.c in any South-

Eastern States (Biafraland) as from 25th September, 2021.  

v. “IPOB has declared 1st of October 2021 total 

shutdown in Biafraland as a sign of our rejection … 

and there shall be no movement in Biafraland on this 

day” 

vi. “Also IPOB has declared from today, 25th September 

2021, that all Nigerian flags mounted anywhere in 

Biafraland must be brought down … before we do it 

in our own way … everybody must strictly adhere to 

this directive … we want the world to know that 

Biafraland is not Nigeria and shall not be. Don’t say 

I don’t know, a word is enough for the wise”. 

3.1.2 Miyetti-Allah (Cattle Breeders Associations of Nigeria) 

Videos, News and Pictures 

Miyetti Allah, brief for the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders 

Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) is a Fulani/Muslim local 

organization of the cattle breeders that is in charge of the herder’s 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

193 

 

welfare, protection, justice and politics. They cater for the migrant 

herdsmen and their relationship with the communities in which they 

migrate to. This group has been unheard of and the relationship 

between the herders and their host communities has been managed 

cordially by the government until the advent of social media. 

Declarations/Utterances: 

d. On politics: Bello Badejo, the President of Miyetti Allah 

Kautal Hore says the association would not support a 

Southern candidate for the presidency in 2023: 

vii. “Even though Nigeria is one, we are not going to 

support a southerner as president. A president from 

the North is better because northerners are better 

managers of nation than southerners."  

e. On grazing rights (RUGA) and the Governor of Benue 

State, His Excellency Samuel Ortom accenting to the House 

of Benue Assembly bills against Herders right to graze in the 

State: 

viii. “Ortom wants to be a hero by force. After the end of 

his tenure, even to be a councilor in his village, he 

can’t get it. He is doing politics with the Fulani.” 

ix. “We cannot oblige any self-centered regulations with 

primordial sentiments based on injustice, intolerance 

and infringement of people’s fundamental rights… If 

you attack a cattle herder and collect his cattle, he has 

no choice than to attack…” (Punch Newspaper, 

2018) 

A cursory assessment of the language of utterance by the two groups 

above has the effect of introducing fear into the masses. Added to 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

194 

 

the performative utterances is the fact that these warnings are 

matched with accompanying actions of violence to effect 

compliance. For instance, there are no Nigerian Flag hanging in any 

government, bank, school or religious institution property in the 

South-East. Again, in most cases, lives, properties, farmlands are 

lost due to non-compliance in sit-at-homes. A lot of politicians and 

prominent wealthy persons of Igbo extraction, the army and police 

officers has been murdered for daring the utterances. Many Muslims 

and Christians have been killed in counter offensive as retaliation 

for defying their utterances. In May 2022, it was alleged that 14 

civilians were killed in series of attacks in southeast, Nigeria. Also, 

in December 2022, it was reported that no fewer than ten (10) 

persons were murdered because of non-compliance of a 5-day sit-

at-home and lots of properties especially cars were razed between 

Anambra, Enugu and Imo States.  

4. Negative Effects of UnCensored Language of the Social 

Media Videos, News and Pictures 

The negative effects of the uncensored language used in social 

media videos, news and pictures include: 

 Proliferation of violence e.g. daily killings, brigandage, 

arson 

 Cultism e.g. human rituals, senseless beheading and burning the 

corpse  

 Proliferation of sexual abuse as rape, violent sex habits and 

homosexuality 

 Disrespect for elders and authorities 

 Psychological Trauma and stigmatization 

 Unquenchable greed for financial autonomy and thuggery 

 Misinterpretation and misrepresentation of news items 

 Fear 

 Insecurity 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

195 

 

 Wrong dress attitude 

 Increased abuse 

 Lack of privacy 

4.1 Negative Creations of Uncensored Social Media 

The creations of the groups identified below are often started as a 

mechanism to check and protect the very essence of living. While 

some are economical in outlook, others are sectional, religious as 

well as social.Proliferation of some of the security threatening 

outfits in Anambra state includes: 

• Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) 

• Fulani Herdsmen  

• Militants 

• UnKnown Gun Men (UGM) 

• Kidnappers 

• Yahoo boys and Yahoo+ groups 

• Ritualists 

• Drug barons 

• Fake currency buyers and sellers 

• Bank thieves/Robbers; Commando style for ransom 

• Vandals 

• Examination misinformation 

• Political thuggery 

5. Strategies for Censoring the Language of the Social 

Media 

The following are the strategies for censoring language use in social 

media: 

i. Inbuilt designs in phones, Palmtops/Laptops/iPads for 

censorship. 

ii. Promulgating laws for censorship and profiling it. 

i. Controlling Social Media through the Internet builders. 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

196 

 

ii. Litigating the source of the uncensored materials. 

iii. Creating public awareness on the need for privacy and 

censoring information.  

iv. Using the church and religious as sources of social 

justice. 

v. Integrating the essence of censorship in school 

curriculum especially secondary. schools  as the 

foundation for the amateur 

6. Summary and Conclusion 

The need for censoring information in the society is to create sanity 

in the system. Individual criticism of the government and society 

may be ideal but when it is left in the hands of amateurs, severe 

danger is inflicted on the society. Before the advent of mobile 

phones and appliances, news dissemination are left in the hands of 

the prudent, educated and civilized professionals who knew the 

essence of sanity, privacy and relationship in the wider society. In 

such a situation, the temperament of the citizens are controlled and 

monitored. There are less violence and crimes. The existing ones 

could not be easily circulated and learnt by the gullible ones. 

Decorum was sustained in the society. Language of manipulation by 

the internet users through the use of social media appliances was not 

rampant, so the security situation was under governmental control. 

We are not however, advocating for the return of the traditional 

method of information dissemination. Rather, a sanitized system of 

control will be more appropriate. 

The advent of ICT materials exposed a lot of managed and 

censored secrets in crime and violence. Social media might have its 

advantages though, but the ills far outweigh the good.  If, for 

example, the imbroglio between the wife of the immediate past 

Governor of Anambra State, His Excellency Chief Obiano and the 



          Awka Journal of Linguistics and Languages, Special Edition 2,  2022 

 

197 

 

wife of the late Dim Emeka Odimegwu Ojukwu at the inauguration 

of His Excellency, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo in Anambra 

State had been censored, the damage control could have been 

effective. Finally, proliferation of the evils in the society especially 

among our youths in Nigeria and Anambra State in particular, could 

have been averted if standardized, censored use of digital 

communication devices is put in place. 

 

References 

Carnie, A. (2007). Syntax: A Generative Introduction. Australia: 

Blackwell Publishing 

Eze, E. C. (2009). Film, Culture of Violence, and the Niger Delta 

region: An Analytical Appraisal. Journal of Communication 

and Information Science. A biannual Journal of school of 

information Technology (SIT), Federal Polythechnic Oko, 

Anambra state Nigeria, Vol. 1, No.1, May. 

Malcolm, G. M. (1977). Propaganda, Polls and Public Opinion. 

London: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 

Mey, J. L. (2006). Pragmatics: An Introduction. Australia: 

Blackwell Publishing. 

Monzali, J.  (1985). Linguistics: The Language Education of the 

Media Practitioner. In Nwaokedi Amatokwu (Ed), Writing 

for the Ideological Mass Media. Lagos: Taorgan Press 

Building. 

Nwabueze, C. (2014). Introduction to Mass Communication, Media 

Ecology in the Global Village. Owerri: TopShelve 

Publishers  

Ofor, O. C. (2012). The Mass Media and the Law: Insight and 

Application. Awka: Amaka Dreams Limited. 

Ofor, O. C. and Obiorah, C. C. (2014). Opinion Writing in the 

Media. Awka: Scoa Heritage Nig. Ltd. 



Uncensored Use of Social Media News in Anambra – Ofor & Obiamalu 

 

198 

 

Okonkwo, D. J. (1997). Principles, Concepts, Theories and Practice 

of Mass communication. Owerri, CRC Publications Ltd. 

Onwuchekwa, D. C. (2021). Practical Approach to Journalism and 

Media Studies: Ebiogwu’s Concept. Awka: FM. 

Saeed, J. I. (2007). Semantics. Australia: Blackwell Publishing. 

Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of 

Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 

Verschueren, J. (1999). Understanding Pragmatics. London: 

Arnold. 

Wardhaugh, R. (2000). An Introduction to Linguistics. Oxford: 

Blackwell Publishers Ltd. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

 

 


