Thoughts on the "rebranding" Nigeria Project

The current effort to “rebrand” Nigeria is causing a lot of fuss in the media, intellectual, and political landscapes. This issue has boggled my mind for some time now and I decided to share with you my take on the issue. I know a lot of you might have heard about the ongoing effort of the current minister of information Prof. Dora Akunyili to put a new face on Nigeria’s soiled image abroad. Hence, the slogan “Good People, Great Nation” It’s a well known fact that Prof. Akunyili is an erudite scholar, dogged-fighter, reformer, smart lady going by her pedigree and achievements at The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). But I think there’s more that meets the eye than this since any “right thinking” Nigerian knows that this cannot be actualized in one-fell swoop or the click of a button. I’ll try to the best of my ability in this article to build a case why the current “rebranding” effort might hit a dead end. I’m not trying to sound pessimistic or skeptical. I’m incredibly passionate about my country and willing to do anything for “her” but I just think this “rebranding thing” shouldn’t just be a “pen and paper” issue, it must start in the heart of every Nigerian. This is not a problem that can be addressed by putting up bill boards in every nook and cranny of the country; neither can it be solved alone by our honorable minister’s intellectual prowess.

I’ll first of all like to commend her for being brave enough and even attempting to undertake this project of mammoth proportions. I also understand in the 60’s and 70’s when we were still the giants of Africa, that Nigerians were well respected internationally and needed no visas to travel to the U.K and the likes . In recent times, most Nigerians would jump at any opportunity to travel abroad and take up citizenships elsewhere. The “bad eggs” would rather take up passports and nationalities of other more impoverished African countries to perpetuate their nefarious activities, so as not to be associated with the negativity of being a Nigerian. I was also told that our currency had more value than the dollar and we were really a force to be reckoned with globally. Today, none of this can be said to be true as the country appears to be a shadow of it’s former self. The heart wrenching question that should be on every Nigerian’s lips should be, “where did we go amiss”?, “who are the people that got us here”, Most importantly, Nigerians deserve some answers from their leaders because if we can’t identify the source of our problem (s), for sure it will be impossible to find a workable solution as well.

I’m proud to be Nigerian and we all should also be proud as well. We are immensely blessed and endowed with natural resources, favorable climate, and human resources e.t.c. The vast majority of Nigerians all over world are hardworking decent people making a difference in their various fields of endeavor; it’s only an insignificant (negligible) percentage of the population that does this damage to the good name of our country. Nigeria is a country that has produced world-class scholars, such as (Chinua Achebe), Nobel Laureates (Wole Soyinka), scientists (Dr. Philip Emeagwali), technocrats (Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala), musicians (Fela Kuti), sports superstars (Hakeem Olajuwon) e.t.c All we need to do is to channel our diverse and unique talents into productive avenues that will be of collective benefit to all and sundry.

In as much as this effort to “rebrand” Nigeria is an onerous task that requires a combination of efforts on all fronts, I very much disagree with the manner in which the government has chosen to pursue it. “Rebranding” Nigeria, requires a multi dimensional approach from all stakeholders, the government (central, state, local), private sector, civil society and the citizens. Our country cannot be “rebranded” by some individuals (elites) in Abuja alone who have lost touch with the reality in the country. First, the various levels of government have to take the bull by horns and provide the enabling environment for this to take root. Second, the private sector which is the engine of growth in any society should also be involved. Third, the civil society who’s role it is to call the attention of the general public to the excesses of the government must also be included in this our “rebranding” effort. Lastly, the citizens who are at the center of this quest to “rebrand” Nigeria have to be part and parcel of the process every step of the way.

People participation remains one of the hallmarks of true democracy. Any sincere effort to change Nigeria’s image abroad must involve the common Nigerian man. From all indications, I believe if we take a survey, more than 60% of Nigerians would say that they’ve never heard about the “rebranding” campaign of Prof. Akunyili. People must remain at the heart of this discourse to “rebrand” Nigeria for it to see the day light because the success or failure of this project can only be gauged by the people and if these people are “intelligently” excluded from the process by omission or commission, the project is bound to fail.

This might also lead to wastage of tax-payers money that otherwise would have been spent more prudently in providing jobs, social services, infrastructure e.t.c. Given the current global financial turmoil that’s ravaging all countries (powerful, non-powerful), the government cannot afford to splash tax-payers money on this “white-elephant” project but should rather address more pressing needs first.

It might also further exacerbate corruption in the polity. Corruption is the bane of our society and for Nigeria to be “rebranded”; we must “exorcise” the twin evils of corruption and graft. There is no gainsaying the fact that corruption has permeated all aspects of our society. This will definitely put money into the pockets of the elites and their cronies who will seize this opportunity to junky for the ‘rebranding” Nigeria lucrative government contracts. This is not a time for us to point fingers at each other but for us to do some soul searching in order to figure out where our country is heading to.

If we are really sincere about “rebranding Nigeria” families should be at the forefront of this effort. The family is the first basic (primary) unit where a child learns how talk, walk, and eat and if parents can inculcate in their wards the ability to discern between right and wrong, it would also go along way in addressing the rot and decay in the system today.

A course (s) on ethics should be introduced in our schools from the primary to the tertiary level. The average Nigerian child today perceives wealth as the ultimate measure of manhood in the society and therefore would strive to be rich at all cost. Why do we have such a dearth in our system? Our children need role models, they need people who can inspire them, and we need to instill in them the virtues of hard work and dedication. As John F. Kennedy once said “think of what you’ll do for your country and not what your country would do for you.” There is a need to teach the kids love of country. Some might argue that one can only love a country that loves him/her back and not a country that kills and thwarts ambitions.

Religious institutions can also help out in shaping the values of the citizens. Nigerians are deeply religious people since one can almost find a church lining the street of most neighborhoods. It’s really very disturbing that “churches” are being used as tools of self aggrandizement by some “so called” men of “god” to further their own selfish interests.

Therefore, this project requires a concerted effort on the part of every Nigerian for this elusive but yet achievable dream of ours to be actualized. We must also, learn to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps collectively as a nation to realize our “rebranding” dream.