CULTURAL IMPERIALISM AS THE BANE OF NIGERIA LEADERSHIP: AN ANALYSIS OF CANICE NWOSU’S HOPES OF THE LIVING AND ONYINYECHI ANIKWATA’S A WELCOME STRANGERHistorically, Nigeria came under the colonial rule of the British during the second half of the 19th cent

Abstract

Historically, Nigeria came under the colonial rule of the British during the second half of the 19th century. Since its independence in 1960, the nation has witnessed series of leadership problems ranging from military series of coup d’etat to truncated democratic government that has left the political scene quite unstable. Political analysts have attributed the Nigerian leadership problems to various issues one of which is cultural imperialism. This paper takes a qualitative look at the effects of cultural imperialism on the leadership of the Nigerian nation, using the plays, Hopes of the Living by Canice Nwosu and A Welcome Stranger by Onyinyechi Anikwata as a case study. Based on the analysis of the plays, this paper submits that cultural imperialism is a major contributor to the Nigerian leadership problems. It therefore, suggests that for a stronger leadership structure, Nigeria will have to disassociate itself from all negative foreign influences.