Comparative Analysis of Chinese and Nigerian Governance Models: Perceptions Among Nigerian Policy Professionals

China's development model, combining state-led economic planning with single-party governance, has attracted increasing interest as an alternative framework among Nigerian policy professionals who observe its development outcomes. This study empirically examines how Nigerian policy professionals perceive China's governance model in comparison with Nigeria's democratic federal system. A survey design was adopted, with questionnaires administered to 150 Nigerian policy professionals from government ministries, regulatory agencies, and policy think tanks in Abuja and Lagos. Respondents assessed both the Chinese and Nigerian governance models across eight dimensions including economic planning effectiveness, policy consistency, accountability mechanisms, rule of law, and development delivery speed. Semantic differential scales were used to capture nuanced comparative assessments. Results indicate that 62 percent of respondents rate China's economic planning model as superior to Nigeria's for infrastructure delivery speed. Accountability and civil liberty dimensions are rated significantly higher for the Nigerian democratic model. A notable minority of 28 percent express open preference for stronger executive authority over legislative deliberation as a governance reform direction. The study fills an analytical gap in the empirical literature on Chinese governance model reception among African elites and contributes original data on the extent and limits of Chinese governance model admiration among Nigerian policy professionals. Findings have important implications for understanding democratic backsliding risks in Nigeria's governance reform discourse.

Keywords: Chinese governance model, Nigerian policy professionals, comparative governance, development model, political perceptions