Culture, Communication and National Image: The Way Forward for Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is centered on the issue of national image which is of utmost interest to any nation craving for national development and global partnership in the 21st century. There is no country without national image at any point in time. And so, at any time, the behaviour and activities of the people of any nation go a long way in defining their national image. Regrettably, Nigeria is a country that many right-thinking individuals agree has image problem borne out of some of her people’s penchant to do the wrong things for the “right” results. Many Nigerians have serious “valuechoice” problem that has contributed to tarnishing our national image. This paper does not seek to examine all the issues relating to national image. Rather it focuses specially on the link between culture, communication and national image in the context of Nigeria. It attempts to highlight the impact of culture and communication on national image from a sociological perspective, with a view to establishing how the inculcation of the right cultural values can help transform Nigerians and cause a national rebirth that can bring about a better national image for Nigeria. The last part of this paper is on the summary of the discussions, recommendations and the conclusion.

Keywords: Culture, Communication, National Image.