Sunday, November 1, 2009

NIGERIA: BAD LEADERS, POOR MASSES


The slogan of the re branding protagonists going on in Nigeria has been ‘NIGERIA: GOOD PEOPLE, GREAT NATION’. However, rebranding without first acknowledging our problems and solving them is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse. According to one of Nigeria advertising tsars, Biodun Shobanjo, a product can be referred to as a brand if and only if it can produce consistently an identifiable satisfaction to customers. In his words, that is why rebranding Nigeria will fail and woefully for that matter, this is because the brand Nigeria cannot produce consistently what rebranders claim it is.
The fundamental problem with Nigeria is bad leadership. Nigerians are hard working people, but the ugly monster of bad leadership has continually militated against any meaningful progress in the country. It is sad to note that the only thing developing in this country is underdevelopment.
The endemic poverty that has engulfed the country is bereft of change programs and policy implementation.
Nigerians will rather complain than take pragmatic steps to better their existential conditions with the words of late afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti ‘suffering and smiling’ fitting for the situation. Government on their own part will rather find excuses, procrastinate, coin out some enticing but deceitful English words such as 7 point agenda than implement people oriented policies.We must therefore all rise up and take our destinies in our hands by saying a big NO to bad leadership and mediocrity and tell Mrs Akunyili and her band of rebranders that instead good people, great nation, all we can get from bad leaders is poor masses