It has been said that those the gods want to destroy, they first made mad.
Dora Akunyili has always been an extra-ordinary Nigerian that many look up to as an untainted woman and serious about changing the reputation of Nigeria.
However, her political ambition (or should I say, let-me-stay-relevant-in-politics syndrome) could not be denied when she closed shops for several weeks and was following Obasanjo around on the campaign trail a few years ago. Afterall, she was just exercising her franchise as a Nigerian too.
When she accused the Late Adedibu of frustrating NAFDAC efforts in Oyo State back then, the cunning politician used her weakness against her by saying she was only annoyed because he did not get her a ministerial appointment.
Well, the season went and another came and now to ridicule her professionalism, they have given her that same lie-popping position that the likes of Jerry Gana and Femi Fani-Kayode occupied before her.
I was hence not surprised to read today in the Sunday Punch that she had already identified the Nigerian problem and she is doing something about it.
Her realization: only the bad news about Nigeria find their ways to mainstream media
Her solution: Re-brand Nigeria using the emasculated NTA, NOA and some consultants that will end up lining their pockets from the National cake.
I agree with her that its mostly bad news from Nigeria that make sensible headlines in the mainstream media, however, its mostly bad news that most Nigerians make after all.
With all the rule of law balderdash we have been hearing, a power sector probe was conducted by the legislators and the whole world was watching, what came out if, NOTHING and NOTHING ever will. A current senator was quoted as saying nobody will be sanctioned or punished for the massive waste of money on the power sector because there are too many powerful people and money involved, please tell me, how do you re-brand that for Naija sake? The world is WATCHING!

Could you please post a source? @POster

Nemeziz9ja:

Her realization: only the bad news about Nigeria find their ways to mainstream media
Her solution: Re-brand Nigeria using the emasculated NTA, NOA and some consultants that will end up lining their pockets from the National cake.

I cannot believe that anyone would actually think REBRANDING is the solution to Nigeria's problem. Roflmao!!
How can REBRANDING by using media already controlled by government to spread propaganda and its side of the story be a solution to the glaring problems in that country? Is this to blind the world to the real problems that persist? Does painting the country WHITE really change anything?

Source is Sunday Punch (today's), Page 7.

she wants to do the same wine different bottle dance.

Yeah right!
I could still recall her shock when she was called and tagged with Information!
Maybe, they should have put her in power and lets see if these generator importation will stop and our power stations will get NAFDAC certified
I hope she would not be another Nwosu (NEC) in the making,

You could put a lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.

Damn! Thats so Palin!!!

B.O.S.S.:

You could put a lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig.

when our police officers hold press briefings and report goats as suspect. na VON, radio nigeria and NTA go help them detox all the minds wey dem don sow the unserious seed inside.

Re-branding Nigeria Project is NAFDAC certified.
Please, look out for the NAFDAC number before taking the project as authentic. Damn!

Forgot to ask, how much is her SOLUTION going to cost the Nigerian people??

Good question. I am sure she is just a mouthpiece like others before her, the real purseholders are on vacation/sick leave and have their own way of re-branding Nigeria by branding their pockets first.

apart from football what good news come out of nigeria.?

Jesus madam Dora wont kill me with laughter. If i had a car with faulty engines and a crazy driver, will rebranding the car improve its performance?

I guess madam Dora is just bringing into Nigerian politics what she does best - dancing to the gallery.

What we need are doers and less talkers.

Or maybe we should just re-brand Yar'dua and he will be more functional!

why did she ever take the job in the first place? she lost all the respect people had for her. I mean the masses.

the same responses from the same blockheads - stayin far away and making the loudest noises imaginable, the poster sums up his view of Nigeria, and packed all in his signature - he said - "Nigeria - the aberration called a nation"? What does this mean? what good can this person see or write about Nigeria, even if something good is being done? Poster - apart from seing Nigeria as an aberration, having an assumption that you know the meaning of the word aberration - what do you think is the problem with Nigeria and how to solve them, apart from all these talk about the problem, what do you think are solutions to the problems of Nigeria, an aberrated nation.

@ I_Laugh: My signature is my personal opinion and personal business, not yours, so focus on the re-branding issue or shut your trap.
So,you are the egg head staying close by and solving Nigeria problem, right?
And I don't know about blockheads staying faraway, but part of the basic problem of Nigeria are people like you that start statements with insults and ends with nothing than your contributions as irresponsible followers to the kind of leaders you deserve.
My post begs the question of how a Pharmacist will brand Nigeria when the legislators that approved her appointment are openly condoning looting of the nation dry? Come up with a solution for that in your next laughter session!

Nemeziz9ja:

@ I_Laugh: My signature is my personal opinion and personal business, not yours, so focus on the re-branding issue or shut your trap.
So,you are the egg head staying close by and solving Nigeria problem, right?
And I don't know about blockheads staying faraway, but part of the basic problem of Nigeria are people like you that start statements with insults and ends with nothing than your contributions as irresponsible followers to the kind of leaders you deserve.
My post begs the question of how a Pharmacist will brand Nigeria when the legislators that approved her appointment are openly condoning looting of the nation dry? Come up with a solution for that in your next laughter session!

didnt see that coming.

i_laugh doesnt seem to get somethings. when people make noise to re-brand and its clear their hands are tied. its easy to realise that the noise is simply bark with no bite. because a situation where NTA and co starts broadcasting the good side of nigeria. yet you have SINNERators and the likes yarning dust on BBC. what would that lead to.

It funny how people who call others blockheads end up being the worse blockheads.

I-Laugh, p;s desist from name calling and contribute if u want to.

Exactly my point. If Nigeria will just be realistic and not glorify mediocrity by putting square pegs in round holes,maybe,just maybe we will get it right and not make a fool of ourselves to rest of the world.
In the 90's Babangida ridicule the intelligence and goodwill of smart Nigerians by creating a system that will destroy their sane efforts; Tai Solarin/Peoples Bank, Wole Soyinka/FRSC and Nwosu of NEC. The practice continues with Bola Ige/Power Minister under Obasanjo which happens to be his albatross and the greatest scam of all ministry after national ID CARD.Naija,just get it right.

We have already tried “re-branding” times in the past. How else was Abacha able to get away with so many of the atrocities he committed? The man practically took over the media and only had stories that spoke well of him published. People feared for their lives. I remember the slang back then was “E giri le ti, e yon lo n je be”. You dared not speak evil and what good did that do to Nigeria? Nothing good!!
This woman ought to know by now that simply changing the package of the drug, does not make the drug any better than it really is. How can anyone put this forth as a SOLUTION?

I still want to see the original article to be sure she actually made such a claim!

@Nemeziz9ja

O boy why is your address 'abberation called naija'

@ Kobojunkie: Read today's The  Sunday Punch newspaper. 8th February, 2009. Page 7.

here you go Kobo, happy reading http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200902083243268

I am shocked that someone would propose such a solution at this time!

Its basically a misplacement of priorities. Or is it a dance to the gallery?
I am yet to see anything new or progressive that the Ministry has done to impact the lives of Nigerians that has not been undermined by the powers that be or the personality of the ministers themselves; the branding will be realistic when the people in charge will not rubbish the simple efforts of other average Nigerians trying to showcase Nigeria in a better light by their corruption today, do-or-die affair tomorrow and useless probes and so on.

There is no way you can brand shit. Shit go always be shit, if you brand am call cake package am well once u open am e go smell u go know say this na shit.

Nigeria has lots of sh*t in it . Until those shi*t called people are gotten rid off and the new generation sees what beecame of their predecessors there is no amount of rebranding nigeria can do to correct its image.

Curruption has to be tackled with utmost sincereity and zeal.
Election rigging has to be reduced to near zero level.
The recycling of wasted old men in power has to be stopped e.g Anenih as NPA chairman.
The peoples vote must count.

Anenih! What about Rilwan Lukman, coming back 23 years after leaving an office? Is that not an error of purpose in leadership?
I wonder if the old guy is the only crude oil specialist in Nigeria. Thats one of the defects for the branding project; too many old faces.

Ritzy restaurants serve the tiniest portions of mediocre food, but reservations are abound. Why? Image.


Yes, Nigeria is "shitty," so to speak, but can the smarties here tell me what good advertising does for a country on the low? That's right,  foreign investment. More foreign investment. Because the more money flows in, the more production will take place, and the more infrastructures, jobs, and the good things that follow will occur, making for a less shitty nation. Simple logic.

What about tourism? That's a lot of money for Nigerians who want to milk cash from bedazzled visitors.

I'm not saying that it's the magic pill for our problems, but there it is.

Nnenna1:

Ritzy restaurants serve the tiniest portions of mediocre food, but reservations are abound. Why? Image.

Image? Never mind that most of those restaurants pride themselves in offering quality dishes, made with quality ingredients and are not really focused on portion size; knowing that should they fall short, it will be at the cost of their business, it is now all reduced to it all being about image? Interesting!!

Following your claim, I wonder if people are willing to pay $5 for a big Mac. I mean McDonalds offers bigger portion size and it does have image to push it.

Pushing a better image for a country that continues to neglect the needs of it's people, funnel public money into private accounts, and spit in the face of human rights will yield what now?

the more production will take place, and the more infrastructures, jobs, and the good things that follow will occur, making for a less shitty nation. Simple logic.

Yeah. I wish the logic is that simple. NEPA or is it PHCN now, will complicate the simple logic and thats why Unilever moved production to Ghana and noise pollution has come to stay.

and there it is. gnat of AfricA.