Living in Kenya for some years highlighted to me the adverse positioning of Nigeria in the minds of many of the rest of the world. Aggressive, domineering, loud, corrupt, and not to be trusted, are some of the colourful adjectives used to describe Nigerians.
Often times, these perceptions and stereotyping have translated into unfavourable attitudes and behaviour towards Nigerians by non-Nigerians. As is common knowledge, travelling around the world with a green passport can be hazardous to your health (physical and emotional).
I once travelled to Maputo in Mozambique with colleagues from other countries; whilst they went through immigration with ease, as soon as I handed my green passport to the immigration officer, a lady she went into panic mode shouting in Portuguese diction, ‘Nigerien, Nigerien!’
But beyond the stereotypes, we as Nigerians have positive stories to tell. And we should tell our positive stories everywhere we go.
Every Nigerian, an ambassador, accentuating our positives.
We are amongst the most optimistic people in the world. Nielsen’s consumer confidence index done in 60 countries of the world confirms this. I like to say that it is due to what I call the ‘God dey’ philosophy, and abiding belief in a Supreme Being that tomorrow will be better (E go better!).
Previous research tells us that we are the world’s happiest people, with the ability to laugh at ourselves, albeit at times overboard. We don’t give up easily. We are tenacious (some would say aggressive). Resilient and resourceful. Survivors and sanguine.
Industrious and ingenious. (Some would translate that to ‘smart alecs’). We are amongst the world’s most intelligent people. We are confident and gregarious (others would say arrogant and loud). Energetic and Entrepreneurial. We are proud of our culture and identity. We are a diverse and colourful people. We love our jollof and fight for its honour. Not only that, we love ‘jollofing’, euphemism for loving the good life.
The Nigerian spirit is captured by the word ‘Naija’ which connotes ‘strength and smartness’. In order to drive positive brand imagery and strong equity for Nigeria engaging stakeholders in the Nigerian enterprise is imperative. Nigerians are amongst the most widely travelled citizens of the world, and can be conveyors of the desired brand imagery globally.
Every Nigerian, an ambassador, accentuating our positives.
The advent of the internet has revolutionized the way humans interact this is gradually changing the Nigerian narrative. There is a constant exchange, interactions, import and export of cultures in the digital space. Impressions are made and perceptions formed about our lifestyle; the power of the people now rests in their hands, on their smartphones.
The major drivers of this revolution are digital natives, not tribal natives, the youths, who are willing to collaborate and fight for a common cause. They embody the ‘Naija’ spirit, and can be veritable ambassadors for the repositioning of Nigeria in the global space, along with the nation’s leaders.
Every Nigerian, an ambassador, accentuating our positives.
