As I drove along the Murtala Mohammed International Airport road, it suddenly dawned on me that the rebranding campaign of the federal government is wastage of resources and exercise in futility! Thinking through and mentally replaying major adverts promoting different countries on CNN, I came to the conclusion that one thing is mostly common in those marketing communications: Major highlights of the infrastructures available in those places. From Poland to Hungary to Latvia to Romania to South Africa to (wait for this), Angola. The story is always the same-Show case your infrastructures

Now according to statistics from FAAN, 65% of all foreigners enters Nigeria through the MMIA and by implication would be driven through the eyesore of a road linking the airport to Oshodi and then to Oworonsoki to the Island. Would it not be a very smart and economically viable move if the federal government as a matter of urgency and national importance see to the upgrade of this road?

What use would it be If I go to another man’s country and ask him to come and invest in my own telling him about how profitable it would be for him to do so only for him to arrive and be held up for 3 hours on an almost impassable road that ironically is less than 20 kilometers altogether? What would foreigners think of us as a people when the kind of sight that immediately confronts them on arrival is that of dirt, chaos and collapsed public infrastructure?

Our people say charity begins at home. All the places we run to for medical attention, vacations, shopping and philandering were built up and maintained with the resources being generated by the governments properly and fairly elected to do such job. Renowned cities like Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam, New York, Berlin, Zurich, and Dusseldorf didn’t drop down from heaven; they were created by people, leaders who had vision and knew what the future holds for their destinies would be determined by how they apply themselves while serving their nation.

They understand what proper investment in public infrastructure can engender for their country and they go about it with single mindedness without any political bias or tribal sentiments. Today, all the industrialized nations have functional mass transit systems backed up with massive road infrastructures that could continue to meet the expectations of their people. And they do not stop! Year-in, year-out, they keep investing on these infrastructures to better the lot of the people as well as keep in focus the economic benefits of such investments.

Ghana, just 45 minutes from us by air invested heavily in her infrastructures and today is enjoying the benefit. A friend travelled there recently and had to be driven around for over three hours before he could secure hotel accommodation. Virtually all the hotels were booked due to massive influx of foreigners to the peaceful former gold coast!

What brought this about? They fixed their energy-They generate electricity for at least 22 hours each day. You know what it would mean if we had light everyday in Nigeria for just 16 hours: Massive change that would translate into increased productivity, more employment, economic empowerment, security etc. The list goes on and on.

Yet we are talking of rebranding! How I love the payoff: Nigeria-Good people, great nation. It sounds so nice and well thought out. But (a big one for that matter) is this where we should have begun our rebranding exercise? How about starting with the basics?

The basics that include the provision of world class infrastructures not shabby constructions to score cheap political points; putting into place the necessary cleanliness that leaves lasting impression on all of us when we travel to other climes; equipping our police to secure lives, property and investments; ensuring energy availability and efficiency; clamping down (seriously) on corruption thereby INDEED ensure the rule of law; aggressively address massive unemployment and creating the enabling environment for foreign direct investment (FDI).

If we did these, genuine business concerns would tumble over themselves to come over to our nation. We won’t need to be begging and making a fool of ourselves all over the place begging for foreign investors. Seeing is believing: All an intelligent investor needs to take a decision is to come and see our roads and epileptic power supply and terribly deprived police. He won’t need a soothsayer to tell him that it’s a NO NO. The ones that have managed to stay here over the years are mostly investors that have contributed nothing to the development of the country. Some of them indeed have become part of the problems!

To attract the major corporations of this world into our dear country requires more than cosmetic appeals. It requires absolute dedication to physical development and transparent popular governance. May I add that for the Toyotas, the McDonalds, the Bechtels, the GEs etc of this world to come and indeed establish REAL presence here would never be a child play. But it could be done by doing the right things.

We can indeed start by improving our infrastructures and ensuring security of lives and property in the country. A situation where kidnappers have the upper hand over our police is totally unacceptable. Nigeria cannot continue to tolerate religious fanatics and their message of hate and death and expect other nations to see anything good about us. Indeed there is a lot to be done and we must start today for tomorrow may just be too late.

neither of us will live to see a Good/Great Nigeria, the mortality average for Nigerian adults is 43 years old. (Darn it!!!)

Old foggy bastards beyond 43 can expect to live uptill 90 in public office and make sure we never get to see progress before our old age at 43