The metrics of familiarity, reputation, and influence were used to determine the rankings. The United States secured the first position with a score of 74.8 out of 100, followed by the UK with 67.3 points and Germany with 65.8 points. Nigeria, with only 35.4 points, fell to 93rd place.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership was cited as the reason for the poor ranking. His two terms have been plagued by banditry, high inflation, abductions for ransom, energy crisis, terrorism, and a poorly executed naira redesign that left many citizens struggling to spend cash despite having money in banks.
The country's reputation has been further damaged by the European Union’s recent assessment that the February 25 presidential elections lacked transparency and credibility.
Soft Power, as defined by Brand Finance, is “a nation’s ability to influence the preferences and behaviours of various actors in the international arena through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion.” Nigeria’s poor ranking on the Index indicates that the nation has a reduced ability to influence the international community in this way.