FACULTY OF ARTS

The high rate of unemployment in Nigeria has been linked to a rise in social vices, particularly among young people. With limited opportunities for employment, many youths turn to criminal activities such as drug trafficking, fraud, kidnapping etc as a means of survival. This does not pose to the safety and security of society but hinders the country’s economic development. This study will focus on the pressures that make youths in the Nigerian society settle for social vices because of their unemployedstate. It makes use of the qualitative research method to carry out textual analysis of the novels as it helps understand the view that both authors have towards Youth unemployment in the Nigerian society. Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come to You by Chance and Chris Abani’s Graceland depict the psychological pressure and economic factors that makes youth settle for occupation that does not speak well of them. For instance, Kingsley in Nwaubani’s I do not come to you by chance decides to become a cyber-fraud and Elvis in Abani’s Graceland engages himself in different illegal jobs. This essay does not focus on government as the cause of unemployment but reveals that Youth unemployment contributes to social vices in the Nigerian society and concludes that, if reduced, will curb vices in the Nigeria society.

The first attempt at the establishment of Christianity in Nigeria can be traced back to the fifteenth century, when the Portuguese priest from the diocese of Lisbon were sent by the king of Portugal along with Portuguese traders to evangelize the Benin kingdom. The period was seen as the age of exploration.1 However, this was a failure largely due to their method of evangelization. The second attempt covers the years 1788-1900 and was linked with the movement for the abolition of slave trade and European desire to trade with the African interior. During the last quarter of the eighteenth century, a new enlightenment swept through Europe and this enlightenment originated with Christian and humanitarian groups as well as American and French revolutions. They insisted on the “Rights of man” everywhere. This gave new life to the church of the day which resulted in the formation of missionary societies that founded the Christian missionary society (CMS) in 1799.3

This study applies Speech Act Theory to analyze the illocutionary force of the main character, Bundu’s, utterances in Wumi Raji’s Another Life. The research aims to categorize these speech acts to reveal Bundu’s character and illuminate the play’s core themes of political corruption and injustice.

The analysis, using Searle's taxonomy, shows that Bundu’s utterances are predominantly Assertives (reporting facts about corruption) and Expressives (lamenting his victimization). The initial commitment to truth is linguistically mapped by Assertives, while his subsequent fall from grace is reflected in the shift toward Expressives, showcasing his pain and frustration. Crucially, the power dynamic is revealed through the Declarations and Directives: corrupt figures wield the Declarations (false verdicts) to oppress him, while Bundu is often limited to performing Directives (pleas for justice).

The findings conclude that Bundu’s speech acts provide a linguistic framework for understanding the play’s critique: his attempt to assert truth is systematically crushed by the powerful, forcing him into a state where he can only express his suffering.