Logic, Critical Thinking, and the Problem of Misinformation in Nigerian Public Discourse

This study examines the relationship between formal and informal logic, critical thinking skills, and the proliferation of misinformation in Nigerian public discourse, with particular focus on social and broadcast media environments across the South West geopolitical zone. Misinformation, defined as false beliefs held without intentional deception, and disinformation, defined as deliberate falsehood, represent pressing epistemic threats in contemporary Nigerian democratic life. Using a descriptive philosophical design, the study applies the tools of informal logic, including fallacy theory, argument mapping, and epistemological virtue ethics, to a content analysis of 60 selected media items and social media posts circulated in Lagos between 2022 and 2024. Secondary philosophical literature on epistemology and critical thinking published between 2020 and 2024 supplements the analysis. The study draws on the epistemological frameworks of Alvin Goldman's veritistic social epistemology and Jason Stanley's work on propaganda. Findings reveal that the most prevalent logical fallacies driving misinformation in Nigerian public discourse are appeals to authority, ad hominem attacks, and false dilemmas, and that these are amplified by social media architectures that reward emotional engagement over epistemic rigour. Recommendations include mandatory critical thinking education in Nigerian tertiary institutions and public critical thinking literacy campaigns. Keywords: logic, critical thinking, misinformation, epistemology, Nigerian public discourse.