Reform Or Re-branding?

Boye Salau

It is no longer news that Nigeria’s image as a nation is on the decline. As a matter of fact, Nigeria has become a butt of jokes at international fora on account of crimi· nal acts such as advanced fee-fraud, drug trafficking, armed robbery, money laundering, bribery scandals, official corruption,  kidnapping and a host of other vices.

Few months ago, the United Kingdom warned its citizens against travelling to the Niger Delta. In an on-line travel advice issued on Tuesday, April 7, 2009, the British government said; “we advise against all travel to Niger Delta States of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers (including Port Harcourt) and advise British nationals in these states to leave. This is because of the very high risk of kidnapping, armed robbery and other armed attacks in these areas.”

On the same account, the United Kingdom advised its citizenry against all travel to riverine areas of Akwa Ibom State, as well as all but essential travel to other areas of the state.

There is no gain saying that due to rising crime rate, Nigeria has become a major disincentive for investment.

It is obviously in view of this negative profile that Nigeria has earned for itself that the Nigerian government is currently engaged in a large scale image laundering project.

On the face of it, the idea of refurbishing Nigeria’s image as a nation may bear all the signs of good intentions , but when recalling that this is not the first time  Nigeria will be embarking on an image laundering, one  might be compelled to regard the Federal Government’s re-branding project as another white elephant project.

It will be recalled that the idea of refurbishing Nigeria’s image was first sold to federal amendment in 2004 by Chukwuemeka Chikelu, then Minister of Information and National Orientation. Unfortunately, Chikelu’s meekly approach to the project didn’t yield much positive results. Then came Frank Nweke (Jnr) and his Heart of Africa project. In spite of the N 605 billion tax payers’ money spent on the project, the Heart of Africa  was dumped on a mere alibi that the project suffered a disconnect from Nigerians.

And now, Akunyili’s re-branding endeavour. (Mrs) Dora Akunyili’s ability to clean Nigeria’s Augean stables  is not in doubt given her track record in government in the past few years, especially her legacies in NAFDAC.  Her concerns about the worsening image of Nigeria  among the amity of nations are very instructive. Any way, any man, sorry, any woman saddled with the responsibility of polishing the image of the country would not be bogged by the unenviable status and image of her country.

But is re-branding the answer to Nigeria’s image problem? Certainly not. To think that re-branding is the panacea to the worsening image of Nigeria is to be clever by half. In a country where there is a prevalence of  over-the-table kind of corruption, where criminal acts  are being swept under the carpet in criminal solidarity  and spirit de-corp, where the lives of the citizenry and  foreign nationals are at the mercy of kidnappers and  armed robbers, and where victory at the poll is determined by naira, dollar and pound sterling, I do not see how mere rebranding can achieve better image for Nigeria.

The positive perception of Nigeria by the international communities can only be achieved where there is general positive attitudinal change among Nigerians. This is because the rate of immoral acquiescence in the country is even higher among the leaders than among the led. The Halliburton scandal bears eloquent testimony to this. The truth is that a lot of people who by divinity or accident found themselves in the corridors of power are unprosecuted criminals and economic saboteurs. If you are in doubt, ask an average Nigerian about the Nigerian politicians, the best you can get is a cynical approach. This has even made a handful of honest men among our leaders to be susceptible to vetting.

To achieve better image for Nigeria, as well as restore its democratic ideals that have been denigrated by official venality and bad governance is therefore an assignment that requires a total reformation of the attitude of Nigerians.

In other words, it is a total reform, not just re-branding that will earn Nigeria a better image among the comity of nations. And for the obvious reasons that majority of the people that are involved in the battering of Nigeria’s image are not common men, but men and women who constitute Nigeria’s power base, having a reform that would totally overhaul Nigerians’ attitude will require the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of a Samson and the tenacity of a bulldog.