REBRANDING NIGERIA......?

REBRANDING NIGERIA......? Reflections from a Nigerian in the Diaspora!
By
Emeka Obiozor, Ed.D.

There has been calls and activities by the Federal Ministry of Information and related government institutions in our nation; all targeted at giving our dear country a new image... thus, rebranding! Yes, our image at home and abroad has gone to the abyss.
Rebranding Nigeria is not the problem. Charity, they say, begins at home. We should rebrand firstly, ourselves as Nigerians. What we should do is to reflect on our attitudes towards each other, our work ethics, our leadership and corruption in high and low places. We have to really put God first in our relationship with ourselves, in our dealing with fellow humans and Nigeria as a nation before our image is revived.

Question: How many of us are proud to be Nigerians? How do we show it? Almost all Nigerian associations home and abroad have factions, not to talk of the political parties? Why? Greed, envy and bloated egos. How many of us can make sacrifice for Nigeria no matter where we reside? How many of us can seek or take up political office without violence, cutting corners, seeking or giving out bribes, without the diabolical oath-taking with invited medicine men (Babalawos, Dibias) and use of thugs to kidnap, rob and harm our opponents or relatives?

Rebranding Nigeria should start by everyone examining his or her mind and soul. Let's start by cleansing our HEARTS, love ourselves and fellow Nigerians, support the needy and disabled, irrespective of our ethnic background, religion and status in the society. We have to avoid all the bad –isms (Nepotism, tribalism, hooliganism, favoritism, ethnicism, etc) and embrace the positive -isms like patriotism and nationalism.

The government and wealthy Nigerians should show concerns to the less privileged by investing in meaningful projects in Nigerian communities - create jobs, improve the standard of education, provide infrastructures and social amenities to the rural and urban centers. This will eradicate unemployment and crime in our cities. The youths will be busy with work and display creative skills, as well as become better citizens. This should be the route our rebranding stunts should focus on.

We have elected leaders and politicians who stole our tax money and invest abroad, creating wealth and jobs in foreign lands rather than develop Nigeria to give young people jobs and opportunities to excel (yet we are complaining about crimes). The shameless traditional rulers bestow chieftaincy titles and glorify these evil men and women. Rebranding Nigeria will begin with recovering all our monies stashed abroad by corrupt leaders and criminals in business and politics.

All of over the globe, we can find corrupt leaders, America, England, China, name it - but the difference is that their leaders, politicians and corporate moguls, still utilize the public funds to provide social amenities and infrastructures to their people, thereby creating better life and jobs. We travel abroad and enjoy these facilities but come back home to live in disease and squalor. What a shame? Tell me why didn’t the former government of Mr. Obasanjo, and now President Yar Adua construct roads, fix the electricity problems and provide other facilities the common citizen desires to live a better life in Nigeria, with all the billions of dollars the country makes daily from the crude oil? What particular agenda for nation building has the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) at the federal level realized since the past 10 years? We are still waiting for the 7-point Agenda to take off!

Many of us in the Diaspora are enjoying the goodies and comfy nations like America and Britain provides her people. There, the families of these corrupt leaders and politicians from Nigeria reside. Don't forget, some of us overseas, have parents who have stolen from Nigeria. They come here to lavish the money, throw expensive parties and show off their wealth. Woe, betide ‘em! Judgment day is coming.

When we scream “Rebranding Nigeria”, let’s begin with fixing the decaying system - Go to Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges, hospitals, public schools, roads, etc; nothing is working because of the greed of our people in government. They get contract funds; squander it without executing the projects. The government turns a deaf ear to the woes of the people. We can't even talk about the lame duck members of House of Representatives, Senate and Houses of Assembly in the states across Nigeria. Whose interests are they representing? Ofcourse, theirs!
In conclusion, my comrades, Rebranding Nigeria, is not our problem. Our problem is in us and our leadership. We, as a people should stand up against corruption, unemployment, nepotism, 419ners, kidnappers, police brutality and violent crimes, maltreatment of Niger Delta, among other vices meted on our folks by government and special interests in every part of Nigeria, before we can achieve positive development and image. Ask me how?

Government should begin the rebranding by being transparent, accountable to the nation, stop the electoral malpractice and violent politicking in states like Anambra State, pay teachers salaries, and provide jobs and social amenities/infrastructures. Start visiting home if you are in Diaspora, and strive to support your families and community to the best of your ability. Support the less privilege to the best of your ability. Let’s create awareness on national consciousness and discipline, attend seminars and conferences to share project ideas to better the nation. Sometimes, ideas and innovation goes a long way in proffering solutions to local, state and national issues. One never knows who has an ear to listen and support them.

Let’s encourage the wealthy people to extend their benevolence to other people who deserve it. Private firms should support government in the field of education, health, agriculture and related community development sectors. They should create scholarship endowments in higher institutions to assist the needy but intelligent students, and see to it that such trust funds are utilized properly.

This is a time to overhaul the training patterns of our students to incorporate curriculum that will provide technical and vocational skill training to young people for the graduation of middle level manpower resource base.God bless Nigeria and bless all those with positive thoughts and projects to better our homeland.