Open Letter to Prof. Dora Akunyili

Firstly, let me seize this opportunity to congratulate you on the recent wedding of your daughter Ndijeka Akunyili Crosby. Madam, as the "champion" of the nation’s re-branding programme, there is no better way to kick off the campaign than to subject 140 million television viewers to your grand display of opulence and lavishness. As they say, "charity begins at home".




Hon Minister, I used to be a critic of your current re-branding project. However, after deep thought I have to come to realise that Nigeria is a “Great Nation” with “Good People” after all. And instead of sitting back and criticising our leaders, we need to start celebrating our greatness.



So, why the sudden change of mind you may ask. For me, one of the things that makes us a great nation is the ability of the government to carry on with its business as usual, while the nation's universities remain shut due to lecturers strike. I can’t seem to think of any other nation that can afford to keep its institution of higher learning shut for over three months, without a massive public backlash. Our docility and reluctance to challenge the ruling elite is perhaps what you will consider makes us a nation of “good people”. As you will agree, respect for elders and people in authority are deeply entrenched in our culture and tradition. University students are so “respectful” that they are happy to sit at home for three months, watching Nollywood movies, without rising up in protest.



I also couldn’t agree less with the recent comments credited to the Education Minister Sam Egwu that “all the university lecturers in Ghana will not be adequate for a single university in Nigeria”. Even though our lecturers might have cultivated the habit of embarking on industrial action, we need to be thankful that we have one of the highest number of universities in the world. It is also worth noting that university education is free. Even western nations like the United Kingdom and the United States cannot afford to provide free education at University level, so what else do we want as a nation?



Madam, power generation has been one of the Achilles heel of our great nation. However, in the midst of this challenge, there is a lot to celebrate. We can boast of having the highest number of portable generators in the world per capita. We are so rich that most people can even afford own more than one “I big pass my neighbour” generators. I have suggested in the past that we should seriously consider encouraging the Chinese to start manufacturing “disposable” generators, as this could help to drive down the cost of generators. The initiative could also be the key to the President Umar Yar’Adua seven-point agenda and his "Illusion 2020". With disposable generators, the government need not to worry about meeting its power generation targets.



Hon Minister, I also read your recent letter to Sony Inc demanding an apology for portraying Nigeria as nation of scam artists in a TV commercial. You also banned local cinemas from showing the District 9 movie. Although the movie and TV commercial might have denigrated the people of this great nation, there are still some positives we can take out of it. As they say “any publicity is good publicity”. How many countries have been fortunate to be subject of a Hollywood movie? How many countries have been fortunate to be mentioned in a TV commercial sponsored a multi-national company like Sony?



The western world also sees us as a chronically corrupt nation. Even the latest index rating by Transparency International indicates that Nigeria is one of the most “politically corrupt” nation in the world. But Madam, what these anti-corruption activists fail to realise is that corruption is not just synonymous with Nigeria. We heard recently how British MPs have been manipulating their expenses claims, in a country that prides itself on probity and accountability. This shows that we are no that bad after all. The survival of our economy in the face of uninterrupted looting of the nation’s treasury has been a true test of our greatness. Although research shows that N850bn has been lost to corruption since independence, I’m yet to find a nation whose economy can survive losing such colossal amount of money. To put it in context, the bailout announced by the US government to save its economy from total collapse, as a result of the sub-prime mortgage lending, was only $750bn.



Hon. Minister, I have therefore decided to become one of the mouth-piece for your re-branding campaign here in my base in Australia. God willing, my intention is to compliment your efforts in the Asia-Pacific region in moving our nation forward.



I look forward to working with you on this noble initiative.



Yours sincerely



Patriotic Citizen

Rebranding Lagos......

The decision of the Lagos state government to force owners of properties on major highways to “re-paint” their properties definitely needs a “rethink”. According to media reports, owners of properties along major highways were given 90-day ultimatum to undertake aesthetic improvements to their properties. This initiative, according to the Commissioner of Environment, Muiz Banire is in line with the Lagos Mega City Project. However following non-compliance, the Commissioner warned that “the state government would invoke its powers under Section 28 of the Land Use Act to seize properties of defaulters”.

In an effort to “rebrand” Lagos state, Gov. Fashola embarked on the Lagos Beautification Project -  also known as “Operation Green Lagos”. The beautification project which is part of the Lagos Mega City Project, has so far resulted in provision of luxuriant vegetation, aesthetically appealing sites, and more importantly the reclamation of public parks and open spaces. Whilst there is no doubt that these cosmetic environmental upgrade have been beneficial, Gov. Fashola and his advisers must ensure that the government does not impinge on citizens’ rights. Also, the government should be mindful of the unintended consequences of its policies and actions.

In my opinion, I do not think it is right for any government be it local, state or federal to compel a landlord to re-paint his/her property. One may argue that if a property yields a monthly-rent, then is only right that the property owner keeps it maintained. And I will agree with such argument because if I’m a tenant, I will expect that my landlord to keep my rental accommodation aesthetically pleasing. Especially in a place like Lagos, where some landlords demand two years advance rent payment. However, what about owner-occupiers? Has the government considered the impact of such directive on owner occupiers who cannot afford to re-paint their houses? It is not unreasonable to assume that deplorable state of the nation’s economy would have played its part in the neglect of certain properties. Has anyone seen a property owner, who will deliberately allow his property to go derelict? Who does not want his house to look nice?


So what I’m saying? The government needs to reconsider its position on this matter. A blanket rule compelling all property owners to re-paint their houses is surely not the right thing to do. Individual property owner’s circumstances are different, and therefore the government should deal with the issue on “case by case” basis. In a civilised society, Government provides grants/loans for such purposes. And such loans/grants are “means-tested”, i.e. only made available to those who cannot afford the cost of the refurbishment. Why can’t the Lagos State Government do the same? In fact, the Lagos Mega City Project provides a justification for such a scheme.


Also, I find the threat to “seize” properties of defaulters laughable. Mr Muiz Banire, was quick to quote Land Use Act, saying that the government will invoke Section 28 of Land Use Act to deal with erring landlords. But having read the Land Use Act, I’m yet to find where it is written that a Governor may revoke a right of occupancy because a property owner refused to maintain the aesthetics of his/her property to a certain standard. This could only happen if maintenance of aesthetic standard is included is imposed on the land through a “covenant”. And thus, failure to re-paint would be regarded as a “breach” of covenant. Even in cases where such covenants are imposed, how do you define aesthetic standard? Interpretation of what acceptable standards will be very subjective. And as they say, “beauty is in eye of the beholder”. What I consider as pleasant may be an eyesore to someone else.

Whilst I appreciate Gov. Fashola’s enthusiasm to bring sanity back to Lagos, some of his recent actions have been questionable. Government actions should not place unnecessary hardship on the citizenry. The fact is, we operate an unregulated property industry, which means the additional cost of any forced refurbishment will only be passed on tenants.

Re-branding Image Nigeria

The Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili recently said that the Federal Government has abandoned the Heart of Africa project. The Minister noted that government took the decision because the project was ‘failure’.

As some might be aware, the Heart of Africa was an image laundering project conceived by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to give the nation a better perception at home and abroad.

In her words she noted that “Heart of Africa was first launched overseas and that automatically disconnected the ordinary Nigerian from this project, making it look elitist. We, therefore, decided to embark on a new branding project that will be home grown”.

It is not surprising that the project was a failure. During the Obasanjo regime, I remember seeing posters aimed at painting Nigeria in a good light, all over the streets of London. There was a huge scepticism about the project as it failed to address the fundamental problems in the country but instead only lined the pockets of government employed spin doctors. Foreign public relations experts and govt officials led by the Former Minister Frank Nweke, embarked on jamboree trips overseas all in the name of ‘spin’.

Having said all that the most unfortunate thing is that we still haven’t learnt our lesson, as this govt also wants to embark on the same fruitless journey. It is common knowledge that Nigeria’s image overseas is as bad as it can get. In fact, I tell people that people back home need to travel overseas to appreciate how Nigeria’s image has been badly dented over the years. I know people who hold dual nationality and will never travel on a Nigerian passport. I have met genuine Nigerian businessmen living overseas, who are struggling because no one will engage with them in any transaction because they are Nigerians.

While I agree that Nigeria’s image needs to be‘re-branded’ at some stage, I do think at this point, it is like putting the cart before the horse. The govt should be focussing on developing the nation’s economy and putting in development fundamentals.

It saddened my heart when I read Prof. Akunyili’s comments that ”……re-branding Nigeria was more critical than any physical infrastructure because it would address the fundamental issue of how the country and its citizenry were perceived and treated”. Does it really matter how the western world perceives us, if we have a vibrant economy? In the 1970’s, when the nation economy was good, Nigerians were treated like kings on the streets of London , because the ‘oyinbo’ man knew we had money in our pockets. My question then is, did we embark on image laundering then?

The point is, if you make yourself relevant in the globalised economy, perception is a non issue. And I will note that China is a typical example. Despite all the allegations of human right abuse in China, the western world recognises China’s place in the global economy.

May be someone needs to advise Prof. Akunyili that the nation is bigger than NAFDAC. It is not just about running enlightenment campaigns on fake drugs. I believe all her hard work in NAFDAC would have been eroded if all she did was raising awareness about fake drugs without actually dealing with the root cause (ie. manufacturers/importers).

Unless the govt lives up to its social and economic responsibility by creating jobs, providing infrastructure, improving security of lives etc, image laundering is a waste of time. As they say “you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig”.