Nigerians always flow with the times. As events occur they modify their words to fit the current situation. Some make sure they use these words at every opportunity they get. For example, the great Tsunami that brought a lot of disaster also gave Nigerians the opportunity to say ‘the political Tsunami that has...’ There was also the birth of the ‘due process.’ Till date people still flog the phrase. The recent tide however no one seems to want to ride. The Minister of Information and communication, Dora Akunyili, said she wants to ‘rebrand’ Nigeria.

The initiative has met with a lot of criticism so far. People hissed when they received the ‘good people, great nation’ short media message on their mobile phones. I think, as a Nigerian who is desperate for progress, that we should not kill this initiative. If it is restructured and has more focus on ‘rebranding’ the attitude of Nigerians and the leaders it would be a success. Just condemning this effort without suggesting an alternative is like condemning the effort of a child with poor self esteem. The act might make the child too discouraged to try standing on his feet again.

Some people have said to me that change would not come until certain there are changes in development. Well, Governor Fashola has made some changes in Lagos and people have commended him but they still break traffic rules unless there are law enforcement officers to break their wings. People still throw dirt on the roads despite the fact that the governor is trying to make Lagos clean and beautiful. Personally, I think that whether there are developmental changes or not Nigerians with their current attitude and frame of mind would not contribute to any progress.

Let’s stop whining, if we want things to work we have to work hard lest we are disaster prone. We can start by offering suggestions to the media, I am sure interesting ones would be published in the papers. We can also write to the minister herself, I am sure she is desperate to find Nigerians who share her passion and are ready to contribute to the progress of the country. Please give this a thought and act accordingly.