Crisis Reflection: Appraising the Effects of Nigeria’s Undemocratic Leadership Character on Her International Image

Abstract: Attempts to address Nigeria’s image crisis over the decades have encountered serious challenges. Not even the pronounced Late Prof. Dora Akunyili’s image rebranding policy of ‘Great Nation, Great People’ could redirect the international perception of the country for better. Thus, the paper investigated how the manifestation of undemocratic leadership character in Nigeria contributed to this endemic quagmire. The paper is descriptive in typology and hinged on qualitative orientation. It employed Leadership Trait approach cum theory in explicating the relationship between the two major variables. Evidently showed from findings, the paper established that Nigeria’s undemocratic leadership character over decades was partly responsible for Nigeria’s Image crisis among the comity of Nations. Among others, the paper recommended a rebranding of Nigeria’s leadership character from undemocratic to democratic. Nigeria’s nationals; home and abroad should step up their international campaigns against illiberal governance and civilian-dictatorial rule in Nigeria, this will enable the Nigerian ruling elite to hinge strictly on democratic principles when they start suffering rejections both home and abroad. More so, there is need for a just Civil-Military relation in Nigeria. Thus, thesewill go a long way in regaining Nigeria’s good image within the International Community cum managing her internal crisis.

Keywords: Crisis Reflection; Leadership Character; Nigerian Leadership; International Image; Image Crisis