A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF RENO OMOKRI’S SOCIAL MEDIA ADVISORY NUGGETS

This study presented a pragmatic analysis of Reno Omokri’s social media advisory nuggets, due to the gap in the literature on advisory discourse in digital communication. The research examined how Omokri employs language not only to inform but also to act, persuade, and influence his audience through performative utterances. The data of the study consisted of thirty (30) advisory nuggets of Reno Omokri, purposely retrieved from his verified Facebook page. These nuggets were selected based on their explicit use of directive, commissive, and expressive acts. The data were analysed using knowledge from Austin’s Speech Act Theory, which provided the framework for identifying illocutionary forces and evaluating the felicity conditions supporting their effectiveness. The findings revealed that Omokri’s nuggets employed diverse illocutionary acts, dominated by assertives and directives, which were used to state personal convictions and instruct his audience on social, moral, and financial issues. The analysis further showed that Omokri frequently employed performative utterances, which functioned as direct actions, such as advising, warning, or encouraging rather than mere statements of fact. These performatives were often reinforced by metaphors, analogies, and cultural references, thereby strengthening their pragmatic force. Additionally, the study revealed that felicity conditions played a crucial role in determining the success of Omokri’s advisory speech acts. His authority as a public figure, the contextual relevance of his messages, and the sincerity of his tone contributed significantly to their effectiveness and reception. The study concludes that Reno Omokri’s advisory nuggets surpass simple expressions, functioning as pragmatic tools for guiding behaviour and shaping thought in digital spaces. This underscores the relevance of speech act theory in analysing online advisory discourse and highlights the persuasive potential of language in contemporary social media communication.