During the period of the Late Prof. Dora Akunyili as the Minister of Information, rebranding Nigeria was a major project that caught people’s attention. Indeed, no matter how good a product or initiative is, if it is not given excellent branding, it is as good as a dusty book on the shelf.
No doubt, Nigerians are easily noticed by our makeup. We are wired to announce ourselves even when we don’t deliberately intend to make a noise. Some countries are not as fast with social interactions as we are. Our presence as Nigerians could be intimidating to some others.
We have the skills. We have the energy. We have resilience. Our educational status is another advantage that makes it difficult for anyone to see us as pushovers. Name any corner of the world, even the hard-to-reach places, and you will always see Nigerians thriving there.
Our music has become a major export commodity worldwide. We have several young men and ladies who are more or less idols in the music industry. These musicians tour the world, singing to the delight of the global audience. We have some of our musicians sing at the highest stages in the world, such as the World Cup, the Olympics and during the coronation of King Charles in Britain.
I watched a documentary on CNN a few weeks ago, where in faraway Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean, David Adeleke’s (Davido) name was engraved in their national museum. The presenter asked citizens of the country the rationale behind it, and they gladly affirmed that it was their way of honouring such a music icon.
Our movie industry is doing well. We have Nigerian movies being watched in the airplane by non-Nigerians. Our films have become export commodities. In addition, the use of short videos and skits via social media has made Nigerian artists gain prominence globally since citizens of various nations find it interesting.
Little wonder, they say Nigerians are the happiest people in the world. We make jokes out of everything. The challenges facing the country are indeed huge, but the manner we douse the tension is out of this world. Our resolve is, “we cannot come and go and kill ourselves.” Hence, the need to laugh away our sorrow.
In recent times, Nigerians have crafted and coined numerous slang and phrases that are being celebrated and used across the globe, even by people who do not know its meaning. An instance is the famous “Emi lokan” by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He declared “Emi l’okan” during his electioneering visit to Abeokuta, Ogun State, before the All-Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Election Primaries.
I met a Colombian man not long ago whose nickname was “Oloso”. I was curious to ask if he knew the meaning. He confidently responded in the affirmative and expressed his love for Nigerian-originated phrases.
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The shout of “wahala-wahala” by the controversial musician, Habeeb Okikiola (Portable) was always what an Eritrean uses to greet his Nigerian friends at work.
There are too many examples. However, the fact remains that Nigerians are standing on a higher pedestal when it comes to entertainment and our God-given public relations prowess as a people. This is apart from the strength of our population and popularity on the African continent.
However, it is not new that there are always issues to grapple with in every human setting. As such, every nation has its challenges. Mention a mega nation without a problem. It is not always as green as you think the greener pasture is.
It is therefore necessary to ensure we channel this strength in a direction that will not de-market our nation and our self-esteem as a people by “majoring” on our strength and selling the same to the world.
There is a Yoruba saying that “it is the manner a calabash owner calls its calabash that outsiders and prospective buyers will call it.” If you give your calabash a horrible name, you should not expect others to call it white.
According to the Bible, the Almighty God permitted Adam to name creations, “…and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.”
It is not that the challenges are not there. We just have to tackle it within and not wash our dirty linen outside. I doubt if any country in Africa uses social media as effectively as Nigerians. Let’s fill social media with positive messages about our country and what we stand for as a people. We can make it a culture and pledge to spread only good things about our land.
Since we understand we are the centre of attraction in Africa, let’s leverage our music and Nollywood industries, as well as social media and other means of communication, to spread good news about our country.
A well-branded nation attracts honour, respect and investments from the international stage, and its people will be better for it. With our collective branding efforts, our Nigerian passport will be celebrated. We will no longer be treated as rags at various international airports or ports of entry. Our common brand is Nigeria. We can make it globally attractive.
Femi Onasanya, a public affairs analyst, wrote via [email protected].
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