Abstract

This study sets out to find out if the fuel subsidy removal and the Naira Re-Design policies were adequately communicated to Nigerians, if Nigerians were consulted to debate or make inputs to the policies and if there were adequate publicity and understanding on the part of Nigerians. The study is informed by the incessant protests and violent demonstrations, especially by the Nigerian youths, in reaction to some policies of the government amidst perceived views that overlooking policy communication in Nigeria is a trajectory. Study questions are: were the fuel subsidy removal and the Naira Re-Design policies encoded and received by Nigerians? How were Nigerians engaged in communication/consultation to debate or make inputs about the fuel subsidy removal and the Naira Re-Design policies? Were the basic explanations and implications of the fuel subsidy removal and the Naira Re-Design policies well publicized and understood by Nigerians? The study adopted the survey research design and adopted the quantitative methods of getting information, using the questionnaire as a tool for the research. Study area was South-South Nigeria and the sample size was 629 respondents. The simple percentages and tables were used for analysis and the study found out that policy communication on fuel subsidy removal and the Naira re-design was found to be poorly initiated and executed or encoded and as such only a few Nigerians were exposed to handful of messages that were bereft of relevant information on the policies; policy communication process has alienated majority of Nigerians as it neither engaged in any form of forum to debate on the policies nor consulted to make inputs while basic explanations and implications of the fuel subsidy removal and the Naira re-design policies were found to be poorly publicized and understood by Nigerians. The study recommended that the Federal Government of Nigeria should follow laid down communication procedures subsequently to initiate and communicate policy to the citizens for efficacy.

Key Words: Communication, Fuel Subsidy, Naira Redesign, Policy.

About the Authors

* Stanislaus Iyorza, Ph.D., is of the Department of Mass Communication, University of Calabar, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

** Fatima Omotoyosi Yusuf is of the School of General Studies, Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo, Nigeria

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 18, No. 1, Special Issue 4, January 2026, pp. 157-166.

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

Article Citation

Iyorza, S. & Yusuf, F. O. (2026). Policy communication and Nigeria’s performance in 2023 fuel subsidy removal and 2022 naira re-design cases. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 18 (1, SP.4): 157-166.

Full Article

Words:  5,427

Pages: 10

To access full article, click on download.