you are here: home » media center» Latest News

Several Imo State indigenes from all walks of life came out in their thousands Thursday, June 4, 2009 despite the scorching heat to drum their support for the Re-branding Nigeria campaign.

Governor Ikedi Ohakim, his Deputy, Dr. Ada Okwunu, Commissioners and several Principal Staff Officials of the Imo State government, including Traditional Rulers as well as Spiritual leaders were on the ground to welcome the Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili and her team to the Imo State capital, Owerri.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister stated that, the essence of the systematic re-branding project is not only geared at positively projecting Nigeria’s image to the outside world but also to engender attitudinal change in us; a change in our mindset; a change in our cultural values and orientation, that would inspire us to take pride in our country.

 The Minister stressed that our traditional values are our inheritance, that which defines our true nature and though sometimes faced with challenges but often times stands the test of time.

Prof. Akunyili stated that Nigeria is indeed longing for order and that re-branding would help us to rediscover the believe that we are not simply subjected to blind, impersonal forces that has for long impeded our national growth but that we can shape our individual and collective destinies as long as we rediscover the traditional virtues of hard work, personal responsibility and optimism.

Akunyili noted that mere criticisms that have for long trailed the re-branding campaign was certainly not good enough but that what Nigeria needed at this point is a broad majority of Nigerians of goodwill who are engaged in the project of national renaissance and who see their interest as intrinsically linked to this country. She further said that despite the several criticisms against the re-branding campaign that no one can frankly criticise the choice of  the slogan ‘Good people, great nation’ because Nigerians are indeed good people in a great nation.

The Minister maintained that she is not under any illusion that the task of re-branding Nigeria was going to be easy but that it is what we must do to make government more responsive and accountable in the provision of concrete deliverables to the citizens.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the occasion, Chief Achike Udenwa, Minister of Commerce and Industry and former governor of Imo State, called on Nigerians to be more alive to their civic responsibilities, stressing further, “that is the totality of the message of the re-branding campaign”.

Udenwa frowned at the situation whereby most Nigerians point accusing fingers at one another and complain about virtually everything in the society but fail to complain at their own attitudes which has led us to where we are today.

According to him, the re-branding project is a clarion call to us all to make our individual contributions to make Nigeria a great nation; a time to look inward and ask ourselves in what way I have contributed to the bad image of this country. “Re-branding Nigeria project is not just a government responsibility, re-branding Nigeria is a people’s project, it is our project”, he further added.

In his own contributions, the Minister of State, Federal capital Territory (FCT), Chief Chuka Odom stated that the realization that no country can achieve progress if it does not stop at each stage of its developmental process to consider its gains and failures and consequently chart the way forward which informed the reason why the Federal Government decided to embark on the re-branding project to enhance its image perceptibility and appeal world wide.

Chief Odom said that no country has gotten it right; every country in the world is still struggling to redefine their nationhood, even those we classify as very developed countries.

Odom noted that the cynicism that most-people have expressed about this re-branding project is as a result of generations of broken promises by successive government with similar projects. He therefore called on Nigerians to be patient and join hands with the Federal Government to make Nigeria great while pledging government’s commitment to the provision of basic amenities and good governance.

In his speech, Ikedi Ohakim, the Governor of Imo State, reiterated the need for Nigerians to take a holistic look at their selves and evolve attitudinal rebirth, embrace patriotism spirit and render honest quality service to make Nigeria a truly great nation.  This according to him is the tenets of the re-branding campaign.

The Governor stated that if we as individuals, whether as  Political leaders, Religious leaders, Civil servants, Parents etc  re-brand ourselves and shun corruption and every societal ills bedevilling the country and perform our civic duties to our nation, only then can we achieve greatness as other nations that we often compare ourselves with.

He described the re-branding project as one of the greatest ideas to come out of this administration because according to him, re-branding would afford Nigerians the opportunity to hold the Federal Government accountable for every of its actions or inactions as well as make our leaders to realise that we are observing the  quality of governance.

On the issue of the role of the church in the re-branding campaign, the governor maintained that the church has a great role to play in this project.  He consequently admonished the church to come out and play its traditional ecclesiastical role instead of preaching prosperity which has partially led many astray today.

Speaking on the issue of national unity, Governor Ohakim called on Federal Government to be more proactive and evolve a national character in place of the current federal character if we truly want corruption to be stamped out of Nigeria.  In his words, “we have talked enough on national unity, let us live it, we have spoken enough of unity in diversity, let us practice it”.

The Imo State Governor used the occasion to commend President Umaru Yar’Adua’s exceptional leadership style which he tagged ‘leadership by consultation’ a system where you consult everybody from time to  time about government policies.