THE BRANDING AND REBRANDING OF NIGERIA

By Bishop G. G. Dunia (Auchi Diocese)

Nigeria is an entity which is a distinctive portion of the surface of the earth. Within it there are both animate and inanimate objects: there are climatic and geographical conditions and features. Amongst the animate objects within Nigeria, there are human and non-human beings.
Now, it must be obviously understandable that it is the life and activities of the human beings within Nigeria, called Nigerians, which basically give or make a recognized and recognizable, definite identity or mark otherwise referred to as 'Brand' or 'Rebrand' of Nigeria and Nigerians as an entity and a people respectively.
Consequent upon the above understanding, it follows that it is the totality of the stuff human, moral, intellectual, and spiritual of which Nigerians are made which necessarily determine the quality of life and activities of Nigerians.
Ontogenically, that is from the fertilization of the ovum to the maturity of every Nigerian, the stuff of every Nigerian is already ontologically, that is in essence, determined by the interactivity between the genotypical qualities (that is the qualities of a particular set of genes) and the environmental factors. It is this interactivity between the genotypical qualities and the environmental factors which gives birth to the product called phenotype or phonotypical qualities that are observable characterizes of the Nigerian person
Now, if the foundation of the Nigerian person has essentially been laid genotypically (inherited characteristics wise), it means that what are needed to manifest and establish progressive, excellent, qualitative, observable characteristics in the Nigerian person are the creation and provision of excellent quality environmental factors within the entity called Nigeria.
Therefore, in order to unveil the excellent original quality of the brand of which the Nigerian has been inherently made, the creation and provision of excellent qualitative environmental factors as well as healing and sanitation of the deformity, erosion and soiling of the already made ones must be individually and collectively effected with all radical intent by all and sundry.
For me, I wish to emphantically repeat and state that it is the creation and provision of the required environmental factors as well as the healing and sanitation of the deformity, erosion and soiling of the existing environmental factors with which the genotypical qualities of the Nigerian must necessarily interact in order to produces excellent, observable qualities characteristics that we should be initiating in all ramifications instead of talking rebranding Nigeria and Nigerians.
On the whole, in order to achieve the admirable and desirable brand of Nigeria and Nigerian, the creation and provision of the perfect states of the health of the genotypical qualities and the environmental factors as well as the healing and sanitation of the deformity and erosion of the states of both already existing categories must be pursued. These duties and obligations must be the indispensable preoccupation of all Nigerians and it must first and foremost be incumbent on the civil, political, traditional, religious and other leadership at all levels.
However if what we have stated here is what rebranding means so be it, but if not, let the struggle continue.