Opinion
NIGERIA: RE-BRANDING IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF TERRORISM: A LEADERSHIP QUAGMIRE
Posted by Oliver Mbamara, Esq., Jan. 19, 2010

It is no longer news that that on December 25, 2009, a Northern Nigerian Muslim by the name of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was apprehended for attempting to blow up a US bound airliner with about 300 people on board. Before the aforementioned incident over 140 million Nigerians have been unfairly labeled or stereotyped as either fraudsters, drug dealers, corrupt, or such, and many have vehemently fought to correct the wrong impression. Now the challenge is even bigger as we now battle to tell the world that Nigerians are not terrorists and this no doubt makes the job of Nigeria’s current Minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili one of the most difficult jobs around. As a writer who has written several essays in defense of Nigeria’s image, I am aware of the difficulties in defending a nation whose image continues to be panned from all corners by the wanton acts of a few members of its populace.

The hardworking Minister, had since last year engaged in a drive to positively re-brand Nigeria’s battered image. And on that issue I had written an article (titled, Accountability and Responsibility from the Top: The kind of re-branding we need) in which I maintained that the grudge in many quarters against the effort is that:

“…any move to re-brand Nigeria without first re-branding (or re-orientating) the Nigerian leadership sort of amounts to an insult to the integrity of Nigerians. One does not need to be told that we need massive re-orientation and sweeping self-character reassessment in all sectors of Nigeria’s leadership. The rule should be to lead by good example. While many Nigerians would tend to agree that re-branding maybe a good idea, it would be an exercise in futility, bound to fail if Nigerians would not find the confidence and encouragement to look up to their leaders for good examples.”

While, the Minister  has been on top of the terrorist incident trying to save Nigeria’s image from further declining, her task is been made mammoth and fruitless by the fact that Nigeria is almost undergoing a constitutional crisis at a time when the world’s searchlight is focused on it. The President of this supposed giant nation of over 140 million people has been on a sick bed and away from home and office for 40 days and counting. At the encouragement of some in or around power who stand to benefit from his continued stay in power, the sick President has refused to resign or hand over power to the Vice President.

Here are a few instances of leadership drama that has taken place in the country since Umar Farouk was arrested for attempted terrorist acts in the United States: (1) it was alleged that the President has signed a budget into law from his sick bed abroad in Saudi Arabia. Now, the troubling thing here is not only whether the president was healthy enough to review the budget, but whether he actually signed the budget or if someone forged his signature. Many members of The Nigerian Legislature have seriously maintained that the sick President did not sign the budget, especially as there was not even any simple evidence such as a photograph of him signing the budget.  (2) For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a sitting Chief Justice of the federation just swore in his successor a day before his retirement just because the President is sick and away overseas. (3) In Bauchi, Northern Nigeria, over 38 people were reported dead in a religious riot. (4) On top of these all, the Attorney General is arguing that the sick President will not resign because he is qualified to lead from his sick bed abroad.

How could any re-branding be successful when the present leaders are putting the country through the type of embarrassing drama and caricature highlighted above, while the world is presently focused on scrutinizing it? It is even horrible to note that these are only a few instances in a just a few days.  Do these leaders care? We can talk about all the re-branding we want, we can blame the Umar Farouks and youths of this nation all we want, but unless the leadership of this country is re-orientated and corruption is exterminated, we will see little or no change.

This piece will not even delve into the embezzling character that seems to permeate the top echelons of Nigeria’s leadership circles; or the corruption and careless disregard of the welfare of the masses. Or the lack of honor and lack of selfless consideration to do what is right for the people or for the good of the nation. Or the fact that many of these leaders are millionaires and billionaires with massive wealth unjustly accumulated and stored in numerous financial institutions and investments both within and outside the country. Or the fact that in many cases, leaders do not contest and win elections based on their manifestoes and what they could do to help the society but on who they know and how much they can spend to bribe their way through the system with an equally corrupt electoral commission made up of individuals appointed by erstwhile and/or incumbent leaders to simply rubber-stamp the appointees of the ruling class or the ruling caucus.

And certainly, in order not to pour oil on burning fire, this piece will not go into details on how the leadership of Nigeria has failed its people and the world at large, by turning a blind eye to elements that breed the type of circumstance and environment where the likes of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab thrive. Or how it has ignored signs and even calls to address extremist tendencies in Northern Nigeria but instead always rush to quell and suppress the protests of those in Southern Nigeria fighting to be given a share in the oil being taken from their territories - the same oil that brings in almost all the income that fills the Nigerian treasury which is in turn embezzled and stolen by some of these same leaders while the average Nigerian continues to suffer.

What this piece will do is to remind and assure these leaders that the day of reckoning will someday come when they will all be called upon to account for their supposed stewardship. How it will come or happen is not for this piece to tell, but come or happen, it surely will. That is in accordance with the infallible law of life/nature and there is no escaping of it. It is just a matter of time.

About the Author: Oliver O. Mbamara, Esq., is a filmmaker, director, and freelance writer. He is also a judge with New York State, OAH