Veteran public relations practitioner Nn'emeka Maduegbuna has stated that Nigeria's repeated efforts to project a stronger global identity have yielded limited results. According to him, successive administrations have focused more on managing perception than addressing the realities behind the country's reputation. Maduegbuna, founder and Chairman of C&F Porter Novelli, made these comments during a media parley.
Maduegbuna emphasized that a nation's brand is not merely a logo, slogan, or advertising campaign, but the sum total of people's lived experiences with its airports, governance, institutions, rule of law, and everyday integrity. He stressed that "you cannot brand what you have not built." This implies that Nigeria needs to address its internal issues before attempting to rebrand its image.
Maduegbuna identified three major failures behind Nigeria's persistent image challenge. Firstly, the country has tried to market perception instead of fixing reality. He noted that global reputation is not driven by what Nigeria says about itself, but by what others experience about the country. When the product does not match the promise, communication becomes counter-productive.
The PR expert also faulted the lack of continuity in Nigeria's nation-branding efforts, noting that nation branding requires a long-term commitment rather than campaigns tied to individual administrations. He stated that "nation branding is a 20-year commitment, not a 12-month contract tied to an administration." This lack of continuity has resulted in zero compounding effect.
Maduegbuna further identified Nigeria's failure to strategically leverage its people as another weakness. He noted that Nigerians in entertainment, sports, technology, business, and the diaspora are among the country's most powerful global brand ambassadors, but their influence has not been sufficiently harnessed. Maduegbuna stated that "Nigeria's strongest global brand ambassadors are not government campaigns, they are our people."
To change the country's image, Maduegbuna called for a shift from image-building to substantive reforms, particularly in security, ease of doing business, rule of law, infrastructure, and policy consistency. He stated that "reputation is a dividend of good behaviour." He also advocated for the establishment of a Nigeria Brand Council or similar independent public-private body.
Maduegbuna recommended that Nigeria must improve the experiences of people who encounter the country through key touchpoints, including the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, diplomatic missions, digital visa systems, and business registration processes. He emphasized that improved experiences would eventually translate into improved perceptions.
Key points
- Nigeria's image cannot be rebranded through slogans and ads alone.
- The country's realities, such as poor governance, insecurity, and weak institutions, must be addressed first.
- Nation branding requires a long-term commitment rather than campaigns tied to individual administrations.
