NIGERIA: GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT NATION.

The class was eerily silent as Dr. Anyaeji delivered his lecture last Tuesday. It wasn’t surprising. Our brilliant lecturer was at his controversial best. In response to a classmate of mine who mentioned that the writing on the board was barely visible (the marker had almost dried off), he smiled wryly, retrieved his phone from his breast pocket and with his characteristic bellowing, he burst into a diatribe, “This morning I received a text message from some creatures that call themselves the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I hope it is the last of this kind of texts I would ever receive in my lifetime.” He had everyone’s attention. “Nigeria: Good people, Great nation” he read. By this time my easily excitable course mates were reeling with laughter. “It is great nation that caused the marker not to write clearly on your white board, not me” he answered with finality. That was the first time I heard the new slogan for Nigeria’s latest foray into the discipline of “brand engineering”.

Unfortunately, my sensational lecturer is not the only skeptic- and rightly so too. Nigeria’s previous attempts at rebranding have been misadventures. A case of ill-branded men branding (or rebranding) an ill-branded nation. Perhaps in that regard this particular case is an exception. The initiator of this move – the inimitable Dora Akunyili – has perhaps the strongest personal brand amongst Nigeria’s government elite. Whether that translates into any advantage at all is left to be seen.

It is generally agreed that amongst other objectives, a good brand must
1. Send out a clear message
2. Confirm its credibility, and
3. Tap into the emotions of its target prospects.
Even though some have argued that the budget of N150 million budgeted for the rebranding exercise is paltry, I believe that with effective and transparent management, an effective campaign strategy and with support from relevant bodies, a clear message could be sent and thus objective1 could be satisfied.

Achieving the other two objectives is another ball game. They cannot be achieved even if the budget is quadrupled. Reason: Credibility cannot be bought; it must be earned. Even Mrs. Akunyili cannot single handedly spearhead the realization of this objective as was the case at NAFDAC. No matter how honest her intentions are, it wouldn’t make sense to the greedy godfather who wants returns on his investments in his godson; neither would it make sense to the governor who wants to stash away as much cash as “stashable” so that his offsprings down to the fifth generation can retire at birth. You see, the ability of this brand to confirm its credibility will depend on those with higher security clearance than Madam Minister e.g. Oga president. And if those above continue to be above the law, it is enough incentive for the “yahoo boy” or the drug peddler or the bunkerer to continue treading in his own path. It is a simple case of follow the leader.

Tapping into the emotions of Nigerians or outsiders for that matter could even be more difficult. It was Dr. Anyaeji again who said “Patriotism isn’t an input, it is an output.” Personally I think it is a bit of both. But pray tell me how to tap positively into the emotions of my friend’s mom who spent the night changing spots so that the rain from the leaking roof wouldn’t wet her new born; or my classmates who have been made to believe that simple learning aids like markers or dusters for the board are inaccessible. How do we lash into the emotions of the man who spent 3 hours in traffic for a 30 minutes journey; or Dr. Anyaeji who believes that blacks are monkeys because of the consistent disappointing episodes he has seen in his life time? No marketing technique can do that.

However, let me quickly add that we must play our part in giving this initiative a chance to succeed. Do your own bit. Support the government. That is your input part of patriotism. See the slogan “NIGERIA: GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT NATION” as a statement of faith that could be reality in our time. Don’t be quick to write it off as some have so hastily done. On that score, I disagree with Dr. Anyaeji.