Cartooning the Nigerian economy: a multimodal discourse approach

News media institutions in Nigeria produce editorial columns and cartoons, preoccupied with extant, trending issues of public interest regarding the state of Nigeria as a nation, with economic challenges being predominant themes. However, a few media studies have examined memes on Nigeria’s economy, while cartoons are sparsely researched. Editorial cartoons are a visual representation of the media’s institutional stance, shaping public opinion, government policies, and driving social change. Hence, this study examines selected editorial cartoons on the Nigerian economy between 2022 and 2024, which marks the apex of the economic crisis in the past three decades. Thirty-six cartoons portraying the state of the economy were selected from some frontline Nigerian dailies: the Punch, the Vanguard and the Guardian editorials, and were analysed, using Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar theory. Aspects such as the represented participants, discourse frames, and the multimodal interactions in the cartoons are examined. The findings identify four discourse frames: Nigeria’s failing economy, an economy marred by harsh fiscal policies, culminating in bankruptcy, irresponsible political leaders as the agents fueling economic crisis, and an economy marred by asymmetric power relations. These frames are metaphorically realised through the representations of the economy as a sinking sea of flood for businesses, an old vehicle in need of repairs, a sachetised economy, where inflation is king, and in which hardship and hunger are pervasive. The implications of the findings underscore the need for drastic economic policy reforms and the integration of public opinions in fiscal policy planning in Nigeria. The study contributes to broader debates on media, democracy, and economic discourse.