How to enhance Brand Nigeria-experts

Brand experts and stakeholders in the Nigerian Project have canvassed a shift to positive narrative for the country to emerge a top destination brand in the global community.

They noted that Nigerians and their leaders have a penchant for always highlighting the negative developments in the country, a trend they argued, is responsible for shaping the perception of Nigeria in bad light abroad.

“We are too quick to highlight the negatives. There is no country that does not have negatives but what branding does is to highlight the positives. We accept that there are issues. While we seek to resolve them, let’s highlight our positives,” submitted Lampe Omoyele, a brand strategist and the MD, 141 Worldwide, an advertising agency.

According to Omoleye, success stories such as the massive revolution going on in the tech and entertainment industries in Nigeria should be highlighted instead of the fixation on ugly stories of corruption and insecurity.

Nick Imudia, Co-founder, Baybenders.com who like Omoleye was one of the panelists at the Brand Nigeria Forum which held in Lagos, recently, shared his sentiment that Nigerians are the ones who would re-engineer the perception of the country overseas by their words and actions. ”Everything you hear about Nigeria outside Nigeria is negative. We need to scream about the good things,” noted Imudia.

The Country Manager of Ajeast Nigeria, makers of Big Cola, Theo Williams, who he has lived in Nigeria for 18 years, averred that the people and their attitude to life have so endeared him to the country such that he now sees himself as a ‘Nigerian’ and urged Nigerians who studied abroad to come back and start industries to create jobs.

According to a member of advisory board of the forum, Joseph Okonmah, the goal of the forum is to periodically bring together thought leaders, policy makers o deliberate on what needs o be done o enhance Brand Nigeria. x