Humour as a Sensitisation Tool in Nigerian Comedy Skits about Covid-19

Abstract Previous studies in educational pedagogy and commercial marketing have focused on the perceived impact of humour in dissolving barriers to positive consumer behaviour. However, the function of humour as a sensitisation tool during a pandemic is yet to attract scholarly attention. The article addresses this gap by examining the strategies some popular Nigerian comedians have resorted to in the social media landscape to sensitise citizens to the need to adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols. The study draws on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), a theory of persuasion which postulates that persuasive information is processed through two distinct psychological routes: central and peripheral, the first leading to positive reception and the second to negative reception. Through exploring purposively sampled skits, the study uncovers the strategies deployed to counter harmful conspiracy narratives about the pandemic in Nigeria. It is argued that the positive responses on the part of certain characters to the comedians’ humorous messages imply that these skits are an effective sensitisation tool. The article concludes that because most Nigerians lack confidence in government policies due to increasing socioeconomic failures and clumsiness in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, the strategies used by the comedians to sensitise audience members to safety protocols are more creative and effective than the government’s messaging. In effect, the comedians become strategic partners in the war against Covid-19.