A few weeks ago my twitter was buzzing with news about how Nigeria's current minister of Information, Mrs Dora Akunyili is trying to discourage Nigerian citizens from using the word Naija instead of Nigeria, this is supposedly part of her "re-branding Nigeria plan"
What arrant bullshit!
In 2009 when Mrs Dora first introduced this idea I was sceptical, I thought "re-branding? re-branding what? shouldn't it be 'fixing'" . Anyway I let it slide because this woman is the minister of Information after all and besides she did such a good job with NAFDAC right? Maybe she just didn't know the right word to use.
I was wrong.
Apparently she actually meant RE-BRAND in the literal sense of the word, now my question is still re-brand what?
How is it that with a country like Nigeria and all its problems the first one you try to tackle as a minister is her pet name given to her by patriotic citizens?
How do you re-brand mediocrity?
A country where:
- there is no constant power supply
- most roads are very bad
- most urban areas have poor infrastructure and rural areas are still in the stone age
- internet access is slow and unreliable for most people
- security is non-existent: the very unfriendly police are busy extorting money from citizens while armed-robbers are having a field day; kidnapping is now on the rise across the country
- a nation blessed with crude oil imports finished petroleum products because its oil refineries are in deplorable states
- petrol supply is inadequate and the average Nigerian man is poor and suffering
- education gets little attention from the government
- corruption is now a way of life
- a certain political party parading itself as the biggest political party in Africa is holding Nigerians to ransom with its criminal electoral stunts........
Does this look like the description of a country that needs re-branding? or the description of a country that desperately needs leaders and citizens that actually have her best interest at heart.
Dear Dora, Nigeria does NOT need to be re-branded, Nigeria needs to be fixed.Calling Naija Nigeria or Nigeria Naija can not and will not solve Nigeria's problems.
I feel that when all is truly well with Nigeria or when she is at least on her way there the world will know, there will be no need to spend millions of naira re-branding her.
Till then I wish Nigeria good luck and I'll continue to pray for her.
Naija for life! :)
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