Pragmatic Functions in the 58th Independence Anniversary Broadcast of President Muhammadu Buhari

Abstract

Political discourse has long been recognized as a powerful tool for shaping public opinion, consolidating authority, and articulating national identity. While numerous studies have examined political speeches from rhetorical and stylistic perspectives, relatively few have focused on the pragmatic functions of Nigerian presidential independence broadcasts. This study addresses that gap by investigating the pragmatic functions embedded in President Muhammadu Buhari’s 58th Independence Anniversary broadcast of October 1, 2018, with a particular focus on the enactment of commitment acts. Data for the study were obtained from a publicly available transcript of the speech, which was downloaded and carefully cross-verified for accuracy. The analysis was guided by Pragmatic Act Theory, a framework that emphasizes the situated and interactional nature of communicative action. A qualitative approach was employed, in which pragmatic acts were identified, coded, and interpreted alongside their corresponding allopracts and linguistic markers. Findings revealed four major categories of commitment acts. These include unity, realized through reflecting and appreciating; peace and security, instantiated by informing, eulogizing, and assuring; prosperity, marked by informing and assuring; and general matters, such as election integrity and foreign affairs, indexed through assuring and informing. Each act was reinforced by specific linguistic forms—such as pronouns, verb groups, and evaluative lexical items—that functioned as pragmatic resources for projecting authority, building trust, and legitimizing governance. The study concludes that Buhari’s 58th Independence broadcast illustrates how presidential discourse in Nigeria operates as situated pragmatic action. By highlighting the functions of commitment acts, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of political communication in Africa and demonstrates the analytical utility of Pragmatic Act Theory.