Rebranding Nigeria: Matters Arising

By

Makanju Omotunde Samson

makanjsams@yahoo.com

 

I read with disbelief the account of how the Honourable Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili was verbally attacked by a UK based student graduate when she went to register her condolence to the families of Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi. I wondered what could have been the grouse? Just because the Minister referred to the late Chief as a “Nigerian Brand”. The young man must have been really agitated and frustrated with the happenings in the country. I think he should not be blamed as Nigerians are entitled to their positions. But come to think of it, what is wrong with the Nigerian Brand? Is Nigeria as a country jinxed? The answer is practically No.

 

I say this because as a villager, I know quite well that many clean matters have come out from the black pot. I equally know that many Nigerians have excelled in many fields of human endeavour. Prof. Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian, has won the Nobel Laureate prize Award. Prof. Chinua Achebe; a Novelist is celebrated all over the world. So many other Nigerians have made history in every other fields of music, science, arts, even aeronautics to mention a few. As a country, Nigeria won the 1996 Olympic Gold Medal beating Football giants like Brazil and Argentina.

 

 What could have been wrong with our country? Should we pretend as if all is well? Should we allow the bad elements to endanger the future of our generation unborn? Should we believe the assertion that the Nigerian Public is the most ungrateful animal for its cowardice and for being afraid of its shadows?

 

Nigerians should not all been sleeping at the same time. When Walter Lippmann stated that when we all think alike, no one is thinking. To an extent, he was right. Did we accept that Prof. Akunyili performed excellently well as the Director-General of NAFDAC? If our answer is yes, then the toughest thing about success is that one needs to struggle always to be successful.  Was it a mistake that Akunyili accepted to be Minister of Information and Communications? My answer is NO. May be her crime was her courage to think of rebranding Nigeria at this critical time when every part of Nigerian system is facing one problem or the other.

The truth is that, every dream is tremendously significant if dreamt properly and subsequently analysed properly as posited by Sellar and Yeatman.But nothing succeeds like success and certainly, nothing fails like failure. Akunyili has always been identified with success in all her assignments.

I agree to the fact that Nigerian politicians are like Chameleon. They are sometimes surprised when Nigerians believe what they say. They see Nigerians as agreeable animals that asked no questions and pass no criticism, forgetting that the King that rules with the fear of God has a reward in heaven but a King, who rules with sticks and scorpions already, knows his destination. Not many people believed Oscar Wilde when he said “the only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future”. I have never seen a perfect person on earth and if there is any, that person is challenging God.

At this point, I wish Nigerians will support the Rebranding Nigeria Project which to me is a process of repackaging our country for future challenges. The image of our country has really suffered. My recent visit to the State of Israel revealed that there is no country without criminals but our ability to project our country positively and manage our negatives responsibly would help to move our country forward.

The Rebranding Nigeria campaign train has moved to almost five of the six Geo-Political Zones of Nigeria with a presidential directive by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to Ministers and National Assembly members from each zone to always move with the train to give accounts of their stewardship.

My curiosity to know what transpires in the Rebranding campaign Town Hall Meetings revealed to me the fact that the government has opened up a new channel of interactions and communications which provides opportunity for the people to ask pertinent questions on public policies. The government on the other side feels the impulse of the people through the channel and the feedback helps them in setting their priorities right.

Sincerely, the life of ease is a difficult pursuit and as George Bernard Shaw puts it, we must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.

The Honourable Minister of Information and Communications should realise that when your friends begin to flatter you on your accomplishment, it is a sure sign that you should thread softly. Madam, never forget what a man says to you when he’s angry, it is an advice by Henry Ward Beecher.