Safeguarding Democracy through the Lens of a Nigerian Advertiser: Evidence from three Newspapers

In the struggle for continuous democracy in Nigeria, gained many years ago, brands, organisations, individuals and government agencies seek to leverage democracy celebration to promote themselves, make a profit, felicitate with the country and, at the same time, use their messages to sustain democracy. Hinged on the social/ethical responsibility of the media and the agenda-setting theory, advertisers go beyond promoting their brands to generating and advertising messages that will safeguard rather than hinder democracy. Adopting the qualitative and quantitative content analysis method and selecting three national newspapers, this study examined the frequency of democracy day celebration messages in the selected newspapers, advertisers' focus on the messages, and the appeals adopted. The study found that Nigerian democracy is declining while the annual celebration continues and is used to promote brands and encourage the democratic process. Advertisers and the media, if consistent, will help safeguard continuous democracy.