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Dora Akunyili is
one woman I admire because she is a Nigerian who wants good things for
her country. Mrs. Akunyili deserves commendation for her efforts aimed
at reinforcing our hope in Nigeria.

The rebranding
campaign actually started from her days in NAFDAC, where she proved how
we could properly project and sustain positive perception. The recent
induction of fellows by the Advertising Practitioners Council of
Nigeria (APCON), where she was inducted as an honorary Fellow, provided
another opportunity for Akunyili to reaffirm the message that we need
to celebrate good things coming from Nigeria to the outside world. At
the event, she spoke with tremendous passion and zeal about the
rebranding campaign.

However, the
rebranding Nigeria project is one that calls for continuous
improvement, review, and appraisal. The project is aimed at
repositioning Nigeria’s image and project the country as a good nation
to the world. It is a laudable endeavour, even though at inception,
some Nigerians described it as another “white elephant project”, and
this opinion cannot be discountenanced totally.

A rebranding
campaign is aimed at creating a new name for an established brand to
develop a different image or perception in the minds of supporters and
competitors. In this case, Nigeria is the brand that needs to be
projected differently on our minds and the rest of the world. The key
question is, “Has Nigeria been positioned differently in our minds as
Nigerians?”

The rebranding and
positioning of Nigeria must start from the top. Our leaders ought to be
thoroughly immersed in the rebranding project to achieve meaningful
success. How many of our leaders are credible enough to lead the
rebranding campaign overseas? While some Nigerians engage in fraudulent
acts abroad, our leaders engage in corrupt acts at home. This is a
perception that foreign countries have about us that several rebranding
campaigns cannot wish away.

The re-branding
project should aim at communicating a new message for the country. What
is that single message that is being communicated by our leaders? The
total focus of the rebranding campaign has been on the external
publics. The campaign should beam a searchlight on all of us as
internal stakeholders.

When our leaders
make conscious efforts to re-brand themselves and desist from their
negative ways, the outside world will definitely see us as “light”
amidst the darkness.

Leaders must show the way

There should be an
immersion process for our leaders. This will definitely open their eyes
to perceive their negative tendencies, which cast aspersion on the
country’s image. Leaders at all levels should be an integral part of
the re-branding campaign for it to succeed. If not, the re-branding
project would amount to futility. This is because leaders who engage in
corruption and unleash violence on political opponents cannot be seen
to embrace the re-branding campaign.

Why would you blame
the foreign media which only project “our negative image” at all times?
I have lost count of political killings in a south-south state in the
last three weeks, while an orgy of violence reigns supreme in another
south-west state.

All these, to a
large extent, show that we do not have leaders who are ready to change
from their evil and negative ways. There should be a holistic approach
to develop a new thinking and a new spirit in leadership, which will
cascade down to followership. It is only when the leadership is serious
minded about the re-branding project that it can translate to
meaningful results.

Beyond leadership,
there should be a significant focus on the generality of Nigerians. For
the re-branding campaign to be successful, there should be a
re-orientation and perception change amongst Nigerians.

The first
perspective is to make Nigerians believe in their country and also have
positive attitude towards the country. This is because poor road
network, epileptic power supply, poor health service, corruption, and
strikes in all sectors of the economy, are now the daily battles we
contend with.

With all these
myriad of problems bedeviling the nation, how and why should an average
Nigerian believe in the re-branding campaign? Nigerians need to be
re-assured, convinced, and motivated to believe in the Fatherland.

The other
perspective is for Nigerians to also reinforce their faith in the
country. We all need to have a positive mindset about the country.
Nigerians need to believe that “we shall overcome someday, and there
shall be light at the end of the tunnel.”

We all need to
rebrand the way we speak, act, and do things, which will ultimately
take the rebranding project to another level. Nigerians should believe
in the country and her potentials to rise from the woods.

The re-branding
campaign goes beyond sloganeering. It is indeed true that we are “Good
people, a great nation” But what values do we internalise as a people?
We need to feel good about the country. The campaign should be one that
affects our psyche as a people. The re-branding campaign should
resonate for us more as internal people before the external publics can
buy into it.

Our values and
belief system need to be changed, and there should be a positive
mindset by all. I believe everyone should look inwards and ask “How can
I rebrand myself? How do I change my thinking? How do I change my ways
and internalise good values? It is only then we can reach out to the
outside world.

Ayopo, a
communication strategist and public relations practitioner, is the CEO
of Shortlist Limited shortlistedprspecialists@gmail.com