On Thursday, September 8, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the national re-orientation campaign tagged “#Changebeginswithme” at the Presidential Banquet hall in Abuja.
The re-branding Nigeria project is not a one off project but a series of continuous campaigns that have evolved over the years. It seems that it has become a ritual of sort for different Nigerian leaders to launch a campaign to re-brand the country. Many of the attempt to change the typical Nigerian appeared to have failed given the rot that have characterised our society and value system.
NAIJ.com has gathered national orientation campaigns that have failed in the past.
1. Do The Right Thing: Transform Nigeria
This project was launched in 2012 by former president Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. Jonathan made this move in a bid to fight against insecurity during that period. He made this call to Nigerians, seeking for an attitudinal change among Nigerians, in tackling corruption in the country.
gej transformation
Former president Jonathan launched a re-branding campaign which was an attempt to portray Nigerians as good people.
2. Heart of Africa project
The Heart of Africa project was launched during the administration of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo. The project took off in an effort to market Nigeria on the international
scene. During this period, Obasanjo toured different countries, selling Nigeria abroad. A huge amount of money was spent on placing on adverts and other expensive foreign media outlets to promote Nigeria. The project was unsuccessful because the brand Nigeria was done outwardly not inwardly.
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As a military ruler, Olusegun Obasanjo feed the nation project that did not transform into agricultural revolution
3. Good People Great Nation
The ‘Good people great nation’ campaign was a project initiative by the then Minister of Information and Communications, Late Dora Akunyili. Professor Akunyili agenda was to reposition and reinvent Nigeria
.But her efforts attracted wide criticism and at the same time applause within the country and even beyound
Late Dora-Akunyili
The late information minister, Dora Akunyuli’s re-branding project ended up in fiasco
4. Mass Mobilization for Self Reliance, Social Justice, and Economic Recovery (MAMSER)
This program was launched during military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida in July 25, 1987. Introduced as part of the transition program of the regime, with the sole aim of giving Nigerians and Nigeria a new beginning, MAMSER had on board eminent Nigerians who have excelled in their various areas of
in both private and public lives. But this program ended up a failure
5. War Against Indiscipline (WAI)
The war against indiscipline was introduced by General Muhammadu Buhari in 1983. The program identified indiscipline as the bane of the nation’s ills and was ready to fight it.
Buhari-as-military-president
The attempt to whip Nigerians into line through the War Against Indiscipline led to Buhari ouster as a military ruler
6. Ethical Revolution
Ethical Revolution was a program initiative of Alhaji Shehu Shagari due to his concern on ethical decay and indiscipline in the Nigerian society then.
shehu shagari
The corrupt politicians of President Shehu Shagari’s era made nonsense of his ethical revolution project
7. War Against Indiscipline & Corruption (WAIC)
War against indiscipline & corruption was a program launched under General Sani Abacha’s Regime, on May 4, 1994. His aim was to put a stop to the issue of indiscipline and corruption.
Abacha’s brutish dictatorship ended his war against indiscipline and corruption
8. Operation Feed The Nation
The Operation Feed the Nation program was introduced in 1976–80 by General Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo’s aim was to sought to increase local food production and thereby reduce imports. Citizens were encouraged to cultivate then. Launched by the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, after two years of operation, the scheme did not achieve the expected goals
Poster of Obasanjo’s operation feed the nation which critics said transformed to Obasanjo Farm in Ota
With all these failed campaigns to re-order Nigerians value system, will the Buhari’s new change campaign work? Or will it be another exercise in futility?
Only time will tell…
Saturday, 10 September 2016
#Changebeginswithme: 8 orientation campaigns that failed
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