REBRANDING NIGERIA?
By Arinze Alinnor A.
Many of us do not need to be advertising practitioners or marketers to understand what a brand means. Street sense sees a brand as a product or service offered by a well known company and having that company’s name or mark on it. It is also true that when a product or service fails to meet the desired target set by the company or consumer’s appreciation, such product or service is repackaged or rebranded to meet the desired impact and approval by consumers. My aged mum would always say that a good product sells itself and may not need too much adverts. Some advertising practitioners do say that one of the most effective form of advertising is one-on-one. When a consumer can speak good of a product, many would through him or her get to buy the same product without having to see it in the media.
Nigeria is a brand. And I do believe that if our nation is doing fine in all ramifications, there is no need for rebranding. Good works and products have voices and they do speak. Rebranding a Nigeria that does not work fine is just trying to wash the outside of the pot and leave the inside dirty. One of the foreign diplomats residing here said that he finds it difficult to believe official statements issued here. The people you are trying to sell the good image of the nation to all have representatives here who give them real feedbacks and get the rest from the internet. So it would amount to waste of time and resources for us to try to paint the picture of who we are not to the international community. It is obvious then that talking of rebranding Nigeria at this time is like changing the uniform of the police and not changing the policeman.
It is very true that it is not the packet of sugar that sweetens the tea or coffee but the sugar. Trying then to change the packet of Nigeria may be a wasted exercise if Nigerians and their lives are not changed. They say that when character is lost that everything is lost. Talent is a gift but character is a choice. We have various talented folks in all the arms of government but they have character flaws. Public officers, lawmakers and enforcers of the law are the main law breakers. Things would not change until the orientation that laws here are supposed to be obeyed by the poor, ignorant, and the less priviledged is discarded. We just have an elitist polity. Nigeria is surely a hard brand to sell with this elitist attitude and character flaws.
What kind of rebranding are we talking about? Can the leopard lose or change its spots? This kind of jamboree is not new in Nigeria. We have had different ones in the past. What actually were the impacts of such fruitless exercises in the past? Public funds were only wasted to put high profile adverts on the C. N. N and other media houses to sell a bad product. Former Minister of Information Mr. FrankNweke Jnr did a similar thing some years ago going from one country and forum to the other trying to convince foreign investors to come and invest here while those in the corridors of power were going abroad to buy houses and invest there. It is time to let the authorities know that even God is more concerned with the depth of our roots than the height of our branches.
It is said that charity begins at home. The present administration of the “servant leader” is just incapable of inspiring any confidence. Whatever they mean by the seven points agenda may just be alien terms in whatever they are preoccupied with at the moment. They must be able to convince Nigerian with genuine performance not on the pages of newspapers or television adverts. Which Nigeria do they want to rebrand? The nation where the Niger Deltans are still marginalised in terms of infrastructural development? Creating the Niger Delta ministry or having their son as the number two man is not the antidote to the crisis down there. A country that had lost notable citizens or politicians who were murdered without any clue yet as to why they died and who killed them is talking about rebranding.
Does this rebranding entail change of attitude or orientation about power and how to get it? Will it deal with the do or die attitude to politics? Will rebranding stop electoral malpractices and thuggery? Will this rebranding stop everybody using siren at any time and for no reasonable reason? Will it stop Police pilot cars moving at break neck speed leading empty cars or jeeps to salon to pick the governor, legislator or public office holders’ wife? Will rebranding stop unstable policies of government? May be this rebranding will enhance the rule of law and its application. Let’s hope the rebranding will bring back the zeal to fight corruption and stop the presidency from hosting past corrupt office holders. Let this rebranding open up the National Orientation Agency to its responsibilities. The current N.B.A president said that Nigeria is like a football team led by a coach on a wheelchair. May be the rebranding would put the coach back on his feet again. There would be little or no need for image laundering or rebranding if the government is performing and inspiring confidence. This rebranding is an exercise in futility if it cannot address these problems and be able to change the attitude, character or orientation of the average Nigerian. Let’s wash the inside of the pot first; change is first within.
ARINZE ALINNOR A.
P. O. BOX 17985 , IKEJA - LAGOS .
08033001782, 01-8964893
arinze198@gmail.com
www.arinze198.wordpress.com
