Rebranding Nigerian: Another View
By
Nasiru Suleiman
sirkknas@yahoo.co.uk
PEOPLE engaged in
branding seek to develop or align the expectations behind the branding
experience, creating the impression that a brand associated with a
product or service has certain qualities or characteristics that makes
it special or unique. A brand is therefore one of the most valuable
elements in an advertising theme, as it demonstrates what the brand
owner is able to offer in the marketplace.
Rebranding is the process by which a product or service developed with
one brand, company or product line affiliation is marketed or
distributed with a different identity. This may involve radical
changes to the brand’s logo, brand name, image, marketing strategy,
and advertising themes. These changes are typically aimed at the
repositioning of the brand/company, usually in an attempt to distance
itself from certain negative connotations of the previous branding, or
to move the brand upmarket.
Due to the tremendous impact that renaming and rebranding a company
can have, it is critical to take the client through the process with
great sensitivity and care. The new company identity and brand should
also be launched in a subtle and methodical manner in order to avoid
alienating old customers, while aiming to attract new business
prospects.
There is no magic formula, however, there is a methodical process
which involves careful strategy, memorable visuals and personal
interactions, all of which must speak in unison for a customer to
place full trust and invest their emotions in what is on offer.
Nigeria as a brand has suffered too much and most people who have come
into contact with Nigeria are skeptical about patronizing the country
as a product. This is as a result of the negative connotation attached
to the product call Nigeria. Truly the country has been in mess over
the years and this is as a result of the experience most client of the
product got after having contact with the product, the experiential
aspect of the brand Nigeria culminated into psychological issue of the
brand which, is a symbolic construct created within the minds of
people and consists of all the information and expectations associated
with the Nigerian people.
Nigerians have been associated with various crimes and other social
vices both at home and abroad. For a country suffused in moral
decadence in public office where criminals have become celebrities and
protection of corrupt people from justice has become a direct policy
of state. Over the years Nigeria as being indentified as the
headquarters of cyber crime popularly known as Yahoo-Yahoo in the
whole world which has given the country a denting image, advanced fee
fraud is also one of the activities of most Nigerians particularly
those who have left the shores of the country to seek greener pasture
abroad.
And the pitiable thing about this is that most of these criminals that
are giving the country bad name are being celebrated and given titles
in most of our villages; they are chiefs and even in most churches
these people are Deacons and Deaconess, some of them are Baba Adinni
and the rest of them, even in the society this people are seen as
role-model to some younger generations.
In fact there is a dance freak call Yahooze which is identified as the
dance for those who have make good fortune in the business of cyber
crime (i.e those wey don hammer). Other issues which make the brand
Nigeria unsaleable in the international community is the high rate of
corruption among government officials. We’ve had enough of this; are
we to talk of the Siemens scandals or the Halliburton?
Or the recent rumour of the bribery case of the polymer contract of
the CBN or the problem in the banking sector where people’s money are
given out as unsecure loan? Even the anti-graft commissions set up to
fight all these crime are being accused of the same crime. So, nobody
knows exactly the problem. What has really gone wrong. Why the great
country Nigeria is going down by the day? Everyday thousands of youths
are leaving the country to countries in Europe and American.
In fact these days they even go to neighbouring African countries like
Ghana, Egypt, Libya, Somalia and Morocco among others. The cause of
worry about this situation is the way and manner the young boys and
girls suffer to get out of this country. Some trek thousands of miles
in the desert in the name of seeking greener pasture and in the
process a number of them die while some get imprisoned. This suicidal
adventure calls for worry.
Recently some over 100 Nigerians are being offered amnesty by Libyan
government for one crime or another in the country and not quite long
an NTA news programme showed that a number of Nigerian youths in Egypt
engage in menial jobs called Shagala i.e house boy or house girl
portraying the country in bad light in the eyes of international
community. Let us not even talk about the number of our girls in the
street of Italy and other parts of Europe as prostitutes.
The recent rebranding campaign by the Honourable Minister of
Information and Communication, Professor Dora Akunyili, is a right
step in the right direction, when we take a critical look at the brand
Nigeria we will all agree that the brand Nigeria really require
rebranding. Everything has gone bad and the citizens are suffering
from the bad name given the country by some unscrupulous elements who
are perpetrating all kinds of crime and putting the country’s name in
disrepute.
Even as the rebranding programme is a good one, but I believe the real
issue is not addressed by the rebranding programme. For instance the
programme seeks to portray the country in a good light in the
international community, and rid the country of the negative image
given her by most of her citizens particularly those engaged in
various kind of crimes like cyber crime, embezzlement of public funds,
armed robbery, drug trafficking, trafficking in human beings, advanced
fee fraud and a number of these crimes.
The original causes of these crimes were not addressed, issue like
poverty, unemployment, lack of basic social amenities that will
encourage the youths to stay back home, brain drain, examination
malpractices, bribery and corruption, inequality, poor health
facilities, food insecurity and a number of other socio-economic
problems.
For criminals to be celebrated and given titles in churches and in the
villages, that is to tell you how bad the situation has gone. People
are hungry and wallowing in abject poverty, parent could no longer
talk to their children who engaged in crime rather they take from the
proceeds they get from the crime because of this evil call poverty.
The percentage of poor people in the society has now made people not
to know what real success is, once you make your money nobody cares to
know the source of the money all they know is that you have made
money; and the next thing everybody wants to associate with you.
The rate of unemployment in the country today is alarming and this has
contributed a lot to the high rate of crime, the number of graduates
parading the streets of major towns and cities in the country
searching for the jobs that are not available is a very big one and
most of this graduate resort to crime, the cyber crime and advanced
fee fraud are crimes perpetrated by intelligent people, those who have
acquired knowledge of Information Technology and others fields and are
not employed and resort to crime.
All these issues most be addressed if really we want to rebrand this
country, those who try by all means to get out of this country is
because of the high rate of unemployment in the country, some are
frustrated and depressed so they see this suicidal adventure as the
most viable one instead of staying back home and die of hunger.
Not quite long we heard of a young Nigerian girl who attempted to
commit suicide for fear of being deported back to her country from the
United Kingdom what message is that passing to us in this country, we
have heard of graduates who prefer to go and take menials jobs in
neigbouring African countries like South Africa, Ghana, Egypt, Libya.
While some travel abroad for prostitution others traffick drugs and
many other self degrading jobs because the country is no longer
hospitable for them.
Greed by those in authority have also caused the country alot. Most of
these problems were created by them, funds made for developmental
purposes are diverted for personal use, contracts are given to firms
who are ready to pay gratification. In fact it is now the highest
bidder not the company that can do the job better, most of the
proceeds of these corrupt practices are taken abroad to foreign
accounts and this also is a major way of denting the image of this
country.
People see public appointments as avenue to enrich themselves, they
don’t care who they are dealing with as long as money will get into
their pockets. All these must be addressed first if the rebranding
programme will succeed. Jobs must be created, government must create
an enabling environment in the country, the programme should try to
encourage those engaged in the crime to come out of it by providing
jobs for them and redirecting their efforts, the time a “yahoo boy”
will spend on the internet trying to psych his victim if put into a
positive use will yield a lot of benefits to the country, the idea of
EFCC arresting and jailing these boys I believe is not the best, I
think the “yahoo boys” also need to be granted amnesty and their
efforts redirected to positive use, Nigeria should borrow a leaf from
countries like India and Japan, because what these boys need is
reorientation.
The campaign against poverty must be taken seriously. Poverty is
indeed among the cause of these crimes, poverty is really synonymous
with African people. For the rebranding programe to be a success, the
issue of poverty must be addressed adequately.
When you see people ready to take a suicidal adventure like trekking
in a desert to get to Europe, and a graduate ready to take up menials
jobs in countries like South Africa, this will let us know how poverty
has dealt with Nigerian people. So, for Nigerians to put up any
positive attitude and behave in such a way that the country will be
seen as a good country, poverty must be fought by those in authority
with all seriousness.
The youths must also have a rethink on some of the risks taken in
order to make it, even though we lack good role-models. That
notwithstanding, we as youths should try to put up a positive
attitudes and be ready to move the country forward and support the
campaign even as we are calling on those in authority and public
office holders that they should act what they are preaching and not to
make much noise and less action as the case is presently, because it
is those campaigning for rebranding the country who are engaging in
act capable of putting the country in disrepute.
Embezzlement of public funds should stop, jobs should be created,
attention should be given to the education sector to ensure that our
schools are providing graduates of quality adequate laws should be put
in place to deal with criminals in all facets of our life as a nation.
Nigeria will be a better country if problems like poverty,
unemployment, drug trafficking, human trafficking, corruption in high
places, and a host of others are properly addressed and if government
provides the needed basic infrastructure, and conducive environment
for the citizens, if civil servants are better motivated to carry out
their duties, and the right education is provided for students, food
security, accommodation for all, good healthcare delivery, justice and
equality of all before the law and if corrupt officials are not
shielded from being prosecuted and level playing ground is created for
all
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