Abstract

According to expert-opinion, Nigeria is barren of purposeful and progressive leadership. Perhaps this view explains why the nation’s socio-economic development has not reached its desired heights. This is unlike other African countries like the United Republic of Tanzania where President John Joseph Magufuli is building on the legacies of the founding fathers of that country like Julius Nyerere. Instead of embarking on a nation-building agenda, what we have witnessed is unproductive propaganda that has done more harm than good for the country and its people. This qualitative paper titled: “Leadership and Propaganda in Nigeria: The Role of the Press,” used the standalone method of study to examine how the media has been hoodwinked into becoming a purveyor of propaganda by leaders in Nigeria. The study demonstrated how propaganda has robbed the country of any meaningful development and nurtured divisive citizens who are predisposed to displaying cantankerous attitudes. It discovered that propaganda is employed by some leaders in the country as a cheap tool for evading public scrutiny as well as diverting attention from real issues of national development. The paper recommended that the media should eschew propaganda and live above board as an agenda-setter and concluded that the press in Nigeria can only be respected if it puts public office holders on their ties while fulfilling its dutiful role as the Fourth Estate of the Realm in line with its core mandate.

^₦1,500