INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF NIGERIA’S IMAGE

Abstract

The image of Nigeria has continued to go down the ladder over the past twenty years, due to the ignoble acts of a few of its citizens. Some international public relations measures and projects like the technical aids crops (TAC) scheme, presidential diplomatic shuttles, contributions to international  peace missions, international corporate advertising and image laundering have been employed in managing the ugly trend. The objectives of this study therefore included to ascertain the effect of those international public relationship strategies so far in correcting the negative sides of the nation’s image. For the methodology, opinion survey techniques was used in sourcing for data. The results indicate that the technical aids corps (TAC) scheme  has not contributed significantly in correcting the nation’s negative image abroad; that the presidential diplomatic shuttles abroad had assisted only insignificantly as a public relations tool in moving the nation’s image from the negative to positive, that the country’s participation in peace missions abroad has made insignificant contribution towards revamping its negative image, that Nigeria’s corporate adverts and image laundering abroad has had only insignificant impact in boosting her image abroad. Based on these results, it was recommended as follows: that the Technical Aids Corp (TAC) scheme, presidential diplomatic shuttle abroad, and participations in international peace missions should be repackage as public relations tools, to earn better image dividends for the nation. While the use of national corporate adverts should be de-emphasized.