Rebranding Nigeria?; Sorry, dead on arrival!

I have followed developments in Nigeria in recent years and in comparing them to events of the years past have come to the painful dismissal of the rebranding campaign launched on March 17, 2009 by Prof. Dora Akunyili, the Honourable Minister of Information and Communications.  No doubt, we all know Dora, we also to a large extent know her pedigree and antecedents. I first met Dora face to face in 2003 when I visited her at the NAFDAC head office in Wuse Abuja. As the then Chairman of the All Nigerian Multi-District Rotaract Conference (NIGEROTA), I had visited Dora to personally present her with the award on ‘’Exemplary Leadership’’ by the Nigerian Rotaract Multi-District Conference. That encounter still recurs in my mind because I still relish the friendly but firm disposition of this woman who was at the very apogee of her rating as a drug war czar. Though, very busy on her desk, she nonetheless made out time to receive all of us and gave every of her visitor the requisite attention needed without distraction. No body was ignored. Many factors helped Dora to succeed while at NAFDAC. First, it was her professional terrain; two, NAFDAC was an institution with autonomous settings; three, Nigerians, particularly the average Nigerian believed in her activities and the goal she was pursuing, etc.  But, as Information Minister, I am afraid that the ‘’Re-Branding Nigeria project’’ she is promoting is already dead on arrival. Reasons for this are not far fetched and absolutely have nothing to do with her professional training or autonomy of the institution she leads, the cardinal concern is that the average Nigerian does not believe in the Rebranding Project. By launching the logo and slogan; the key drivers of the re-branding Nigeria project- Nigeria, Good People, Great Nation amidst volatile criticisms. Akunyili has made a good attempt to show that she has another mettle to showcase in her new port folio. But this campaign is definitely beyond Dora Akunyili. It needs the commitment and direct involvement of the President to trudge on but this sadly is not there.  No doubt rebranding is a great initiative but it needs much more to succeed. Are Nigerian leaders unaware that the world reacts to the name Nigeria negatively? Is President Yar Dua and his cabinet members and goons in the PDP unaware that at the mention of the name Nigeria, the international community shudders with apprehensive and suspicious, and that innocent Nigerians are made to pay the undeserving prize home and abroad. What is the cause? Our common offence is failure of Nigerian leaders to lead the country aright and restore the national image. Nigeria’s image problem is embedded in the name Nigeria; but dishonest country men and women especially bad leaders have severely damaged that name. Nigerians have lived from one incident of misrule to another. To Nigerians, poor governance and all the associated accoutrements is already part of daily living. No electricity, no drinking water, no medical facilities, insecurity, poor road transport network, unemployment, flooding, drought and many others have all combined to impoverish them and make poverty a way of life. This weaknesses and threats persists because leaders have always emerged through foul means, imposing themselves on the people, exploiting and stealing the people’s common wealth yet remaining insouciant to the people’s needs. When Akunyili say that we have lost our dignity, I agree completely with her because I am a victim too. You need to travel overseas to see the humiliation Nigerians are subjected to because others outside our shore resent us. But who is to blame? Certainly not the citizens; Not those plethora of ordinary men and women struggling to feed themselves but our leaders, the elites; because they dance naked in the market place all the time hence subjecting us all to ridicule and disgrace.  The result is the total impunity by even the least amongst us to misbehave regardless of the law. The failure of leadership we see in our leaders, those who should set the pace for us all have sadly led us to the cross road where the most Nigerian takes their fate in their hands. Nigeria has become a land of self help where citizens see their welfare, survival and future as their  own design hence must be either smart or docile to break through, that is why all sorts of evil today thrives and nothing works. Governors are ever busy thinking of personal investment with public funds in order to safeguard their own future and those of their families. No development project is really transparent and development driven as parochial interest pervades all over. In Imo State, the governor rode roughshod over public opinion to expend a whooping N8billion naira in dredging a local stream, in a state where urgent needs exists in health care, education and security. This was just after an attempt to float a dubious state airline. So, who needs a philosopher to know that those in government are simply looting despite their good dressings and pontifications.  Nobody needs to go back to school to understand the nexus between poor governance and prostitution, 419, credit card scams, kidnapping, drug pushing, advance fee fraud and many other criminal activities. Who sets the example? Who is looked up to as a role model?

When a governor sets up phantom projects, using same only to loot public funds as we saw in the setting up of Universities in Plateau; the setting up of the Songhai farms in Imo and the setting up of Poultry farms in Ekiti etc, yet leaving office without satisfactorily rendering account of his stewardship, what do you expect.

How do you expect Nigerians to behave when Nigerian leaders come into leadership with the mindset to loot and enrich themselves. Gulf war oil windfall became a windfall for only General Babangida and his friends. General Abdusalami’s transition was a transition without transparency, while Chief Obasanjo’s avowals to rejuvenate energy and power supplies in the country ended up as mere grandstanding and a mirage despite the colossal amounts of money expended; yet no succeeding leader is interested to raise questions and clear the augean stables. Why? Let it be said that painting and decorating a grave would not stop the corpse from decomposing or smelling when given a space through a little cleavage or crack. Rebranding amounts to such and would come to nought unless the internal is sorted out first. Yes, criminal activities such as electoral fraud and looting of public treasury a grand design of Nigerian elites and political leaders has direct consequences and associated vices and these are such nuisances as credit card scams, internet fraud, armed robberies, kidnapping, document rackets to other mind- boggling practices etc because a weak and tainted leadership can never be a good regulator or coordinator. That is the sorry pass for Nigeria. You cannot rebrand Nigeria with the extant mindset of organisations such as the PDP. A mind set of unlimited acquisition and asphyxiation of common wealth and the people. In the words of Tam David West, I find a painful summary of the extant national shame that exposes the frailties of the ‘’Re-branding Project’’ and these are ;……..’’ I have been very greatly disturbed for some time over the dangerous trend of politics and politicking in the country. In short, satanic selfish self-interest or political party interest is being given primacy of place over and above our national political stability’’. He continued ‘’ And all these because of the political antics of a bunch of unprincipled, opportunistic, narcissistic politicians to whom honour is an irritating nuisance. I am, honestly, very sad. Sad.  Sad. “Sad Tam”; (apology my good friend, “Sad Sam”). Politics has been turned into a huge joke of largely entertaining clowns. We, our unprincipled politicians, have made us laughing stock all over the serious and disciplined world. Shame. Shame. Shame’’. Professor Tam David West was reacting to defection of politicians from one political party to another in recent time in Nigeria. Early in the year it was Gov Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi of Zamfara State, who left the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) for the PDP. Then came Isa Yuguda of Bauchi, then an ANPP governor, who married Nafisat, the daughter of President Umaru Yar’Adua in January, and before we could blink an eye according to Femi Adesina of the Sun, he has proven to be a good son-in-law, by joining the PDP, the much-vaunted largest party in Africa. Next, in the words of Femi Adesina; ….. Ikedi Ohakim Governor of Imo State ……….. ‘’the man that prides himself as the New Face of Imo, making some people think he symbolised the new direction in Nigerian politics, the politics of the future, pedestalled on honour, integrity, and dignity last Saturday  joined the multitude to do evil left the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)”. So, where does the rebranding start, and who shall lead the campaign? Should it start in Imo, Bauchi or Zamfara? Also, Dora should not expect the impossible from the Nigerian press. I am of the view that “story tellers must talk, provided doers continue to do”.  It is not the press that will rebrand Nigeria by cutting off bad publicity. The press are also Nigerians and are also fed up with the deceit, looting and insouciance that are on reign as governance. It is only those that are compromised that could kill a story.  Above all, I don’t think that President Shehu Musa Yar’ Dua is committed to the message or even the campaign. The president’s apparent lack of commitment to the campaign is clear to every Tom, Dick and Harry. He did not consider it a cardinal program of his administration and never listed it as part of the 7 point agenda. He did not attend the launching ceremony to formally launch it. He also has failed to adequately cater for its budgetary needs in the 2009 budget. Yar ‘Dua and his lackeys see the rebranding project as Dora’s pet project and not as a national campaign. Dora, should not over-flog herself. I advise her to just play her part without being too overbearing. She should read the hand writing on the wall especially the non commitment of the president to buy into the project through adequate funding and personal promotion.  The rationale behind the president’s apathy and those of his party; the PDP are not far fetched. Rebranding or re-working Nigeria means a farewell to the favourable status quo. No, they won’t want that. The want the situation to remain as it is, so that their evil will continue to enjoy a field day.

 

 

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