The Nigerian public relations community has voiced strong concerns over the recent travel advisory issued by the United States, describing it as a significant blow to the country’s global image and an act that undermines Nigeria’s reputation.
This sentiment was echoed at the annual retreat of the Nigeria Reputation Management Group, where stakeholders gathered in Abuja to address persistent negative perceptions of the country.
The travel warning from the US government, published on the website of the US Mission in Nigeria, had advised Americans to avoid Nigeria due to security threats ranging from terrorism and kidnapping to crime and insufficient healthcare.
The advisory listed specific states considered particularly dangerous, stating, “Overall, all locations carry significant security risks. Read the entire Travel Advisory.
“Do Not Travel to Borno, Yobe, Kogi, and northern Adamawa states due to terrorism and kidnapping. Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states due to kidnapping. Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Delta, Enugu, Imo, and Rivers states (with the exception of Port Harcourt) due to crime, kidnapping, and armed gangs.
“They primarily target dual national citizens visiting Nigeria and US citizens perceived as wealthy. Kidnapping gangs have also stopped victims on interstate roads.”
Reacting to the development, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, speaking through his Special Assistant on Media and Communication Strategy, Alkazeem Abdulkadir, criticized the US for what he described as an unbalanced narrative.
“There is a saying that if the lion does not learn how to write stories, the game will always glorify the hunter. I share this proverb with you because in 2024, about 47,000 people died from gun violence in America. Again, it is projected that in 2025, 45,000 people will die from gun violence in the same America,” he said.
“But because we have not articulated or replied to their travel advisory, we have empowered them to continue writing these things against us. A year ago, we wrote a travel advisory against Australia because they published one against us.
“We also wrote a travel advisory against the UK because they published one against us. In the ministry, we call this self-flagellation, where we, as Nigerians, are very prone to laugh at ourselves.”
Tuggar urged professionals in the communications field to play a more assertive role in defending the country’s image.
“In such a context, your expertise becomes indispensable, not only in managing reputation but in framing the national narrative with clarity, integrity, and patriotic purpose.
“As Nigeria repositions itself on the global stage under the visionary leadership of President Bola Tinubu, your work becomes even more strategic. This is a time for media diplomacy to foster national unity, attract investment, strengthen bilateral relationships, and promote Nigeria as a capable voice in the global conversation,” he said.
Public Relations expert Modupe Adetokunbo, who delivered the keynote address, emphasized how poor national storytelling has allowed negative global impressions to flourish.
He said, “The prevailing perception when a typical Nigerian is confronted with a question, How are you doing? The answer has escalated over time from, ‘we thank God’ to ‘It is well.’
“That’s where you see ‘japa’, pent-up anger, capital flight and begging. Begging now has moved from the streets to homes and institutions. People are no longer ashamed of begging.
“There was a video that went viral the other time where some foreigners came into the country and were sharing money with the police. That’s a reflection of the larger society, not just about police.”
Similarly, the President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Dr Ike Neliaku, called for a deliberate effort to counter foreign narratives with authentic Nigerian success stories.
He said, “The challenge of reputation in Nigeria is not the absence of stories. We have great stories to tell. Today, we are talking about the Super Falcons and the young girl who excelled in mathematics.
“But the issue for me is that we ‘undertell’ our own stories and sometimes overtell other people’s stories. The time has indeed come for us to tell our stories in our way and drive the narratives instead of allowing outsiders to tell the stories of our country in their own way.
“Unknown to us, this whole thing is about programming. People can programme us to continue to look down on ourselves, and unwittingly, we have accepted that scenario.
I always insist that Nigeria remains one of the greatest nations on earth, no matter the parameters deployed to check.”
As Nigeria faces increasing scrutiny abroad, the consensus among its communicators and officials is that proactive storytelling, national self-assertion, and media diplomacy must be prioritized to project a balanced view of the nation to the world.
