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Rebranding
Nigeria’s Cities
By Uche Nworah
A conceptual gap still exists in the understanding of
the principles and practices of place branding amongst
Nigeria’s many state and local government officials.
Despite the efforts at the centre to promote this novel
concept that has been described by branding
professionals as one of the fastest growing knowledge
sectors in global branding and marketing, it appears
that place branding is largely only linked and
associated with the various activities embarked upon by
the federal government, aimed at improving Nigeria’s
image in the international community, and to position
her as a good destination for tourism and investment in
sub-saharan Africa.
Since the Nigerian government launched the Nigeria Image
Project in 2004, which was subsequently re-branded
The Heart of Africa Project, not much has been seen
from the respective local and state governments in the
direction of formulating strategies to attract foreign
investors and tourists to their various towns, villages
and states. This overwhelming notion that place branding
rests with the centre amounts to defeatist and faulty
logic because according to
Tom Traynor & Ro Breehl ‘every place does have some
distinction, some reason to live there, work there,
vacation there, rather than some other place’. They also
argue that finding that ‘true compelling claim of
distinction’ can be hard work which lots of tourism
boards, city councils, business improvement districts
aren’t prepared for, ‘preferring instead to move
directly to (inevitably drab) advertising execution’.
This line of least resistance appears to be the one
towed by Nigeria’s state and local government officials.
There are many benefits to states and local governments
who make conscious efforts to market their regions both
to internal and external stakeholders. If the
governments in these states and local governments can
institute sound fiscal policies and invest in
infrastructures, the job of selling their places becomes
easier. The starting point would be the development of a
branding framework and strategy encompassing their
distinctive cultural, tourism, human capital, economic,
educational and personality assets. The second stage
would be the implementation of the strategy by appointed
marketing communication professionals working closely
with the commissioners of information and strategy; the
local governments could also do a similar thing by
appointing qualified supervising councillors to head the
information and communication units of the local
governments.
The respective state governors and local government
chairmen having recognised the strategic importance of
managing their brand assets could also set up small
committees headed by marketing communication
professionals, to coordinate their various place
branding efforts. Appointing non-professionals to such
positions purely on political grounds is actually
counter–productive and could undermine their prospects
of reaping the benefits of economic development which
strategic place branding may attract.
Donald Duke, the saxophone playing governor of Cross
River state, provides a good model for other states and
local governments in Nigeria to copy. He has consciously
pursued a policy of shying away from controversy since
he became the governor of the state. This has helped
ensure that his reputation remains quite intact as he
has not been named or mentioned in any media report, nor
by Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
as one of the corrupt governors. This is quite
encouraging as the same cannot be said about his
colleagues.
Governor Duke’s admirers cut across different age groups
and gender, not only because of his boyish looks, social
savvy and bespoke fashion sense but also because he is
one of the few governors that have actually implemented
programmes that have directly impacted on the lives of
his people. He has gone a step farther with his Tinapa
project (Africa’s premier business resort); a project
which when completed would put his state and Nigeria on
the map of world tourism. The state government has also
set up well-designed and maintained websites –
www.tinapa.com and
www.crossriverstate.com which serves as its windows
to the world. The calabar and Cross River brands have
steadily improved as strong Nigerian brands during
Governor Duke’s stay at the government house.
Nigeria’s many states and local governments should
indeed take advantage of emerging technologies such as
the internet and incorporate them as governance tools,
many do not yet have functioning websites, and for some
that do, their sites lack the professional touch that
would help enhance their overall brand image.
Another state which recently impressed is Kwara state.
Kudos to the state governor, Bukola Saraki who has
managed to attract sacked Zimbabwean farmers to the
state, and have kept faith with them despite the
criticisms his government received over the move. Some
of the criticisms were rather unfair and seemed
ill-informed as the potential economic benefits to the
state and her citizens were obviously overlooked by the
critics. The Kwara state government recently scored
another PR coup which would help project the image of
the state further; it successfully exploited the
opportunity of the
ThisDay music festival and invited the star
attraction Jay-Z to Kwara state to commission some
government projects. During his visit to the state,
Jay-Z was honoured by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji
Ibrahim Sulu Gambari and also had a road named after him
- Shawn "Jay - Z" Carter Road.
It is indeed a positive thing for the state to have
Jay-Z dressed up in native aso oke attire riding
the traditional horse during his turbanning ceremony.
Such images beamed across the world are actually
priceless and could help to project the Kwara state
brand further. However for this PR coup to actually
impact on the economy of the state, the Kwara state
government must also complement its efforts with good
governance.
Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city has also done well in this
regard and seems to be enjoying a new lease of life,
conscious efforts by the federal capital territory (FCT)
minister Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and his team to sanitise
the city appears to be paying off, some of these efforts
though have come at a heavy price such as homelessness
for the residents of the houses demolished during the
various rounds of demolition exercises in the city.
Residents however appreciate the changing face of Abuja
and the various recreation parks now available for their
use. The FCT minister has embarked on policies to change
the face of the city which sometimes appeared
controversial. His ban on Okada (commercial
motorcycles), importation of London cabs and vigorous
pursuit and implementation of the Abuja master plan has
led to the demolition of illegal structures in and
around the city, and has in so doing reclaimed back
lands which have now been transformed into parks for the
enjoyment of city residents and visitors. Nigeria’s
capital city has also consolidated efforts at
re-branding its image through music, art, tourism and
business.
The annual
Abuja carnival modelled after the Rio de Janerio
carnival, Abuja Rocks @ 30 (an entertainment package to
celebrate the city’s 30 years and strengthen the
consciousness of unity in Nigeria) and the proposed
Abuja tower are some of the efforts aimed at
repositioning Abuja as a good destination, such efforts
would also help to stretch the Abuja brand further.
States such as Anambra state have a lot to do to improve
their brand image which has been negatively undermined
by the activities of indigenous politicians such as
Chris Ubah and Emeka Offor before him. The current
governor Mr. Peter Obi with his private sector
background and experience appears to be the right man
for the job but his slow start has continued to attract
the criticisms of Anambra state indigenes whose patience
are now running out. With all the material and human
resources that abound in the state, including the extra
advantage of being the home state of some famous
Nigerians such as Rt. Hon. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chinua
Achebe, Phillip Emeagwali, Arthur Ekwensi, Prof. Charles
Soludo, Emeka Anyaoku, Prof. (Mrs) Oby Ezekwesili etc.
Anambra state should indeed be more than it is at the
moment. Worryingly, the state government appears not to
be quite in sync with current perceptions and concepts
in place branding. The only reported effort at
rebranding Anambra state was the changing of the state’s
slogan from Anambra – Home for all to Anambra – Home for
all good people. Surely the state can do better. Part of
the problems with the Anambra brand is the general
perception that its citizens are mainly interested in
commercial pursuits as against intellectual engagements,
the state also continues to suffer from the huge burden
of the political class, most recently the state
legislators have initiated the process of impeaching Mr.
Peter Obi thus fuelling further instability, riots and
demonstrations in the state.
It’s about time that Anambra state, a potential economic
and regional tiger wakes up and starts to harness her
true potentials for the benefits of her indigenes.
Historical sites such as the Ogbunike cave, Agulu lake,
Igwe Osita Agwuna’s Obu Ofor Nri palace, Ochanja main
market etc should be actively positioned as business and
tourist attractions. Also with the rise in interest in
Igbo culture and history, packaged and guided tours to
the towns in Nri kingdom (the acclaimed cradle of Igbo
civilisation and ancestral home of Ndigbo) could also
help in extending the Anambra brand worldwide. The
latter approach is favoured by Chikodi Anunobi, author
of the book
Nri Warriors of Peace. According to him ‘The story
of Nri dynasty sums up the story of Ndigbo, and so
anybody wishing to know more about Ndigbo and their
history is better off visiting Nri towns’.
The Lagos, Delta, Rivers and Akwa Ibom state governments
have repeatedly failed to capitalise on the rich natural
resources abundant in their states, they have also not
fully exploited the huge presence of foreign nationals
in their states who are active in the oil and gas
industry, these expatriates could easily serve as
unofficial goodwill ambassadors of these states to their
respective home countries and help them to attract
additional foreign direct investments in other sectors.
Despite the huge revenues these states earn as oil
producing states and the blessings of Mother Nature
which has richly endowed them with oceans, rivers,
fertile farmlands and crude oil, infrastructural
development has not been top on the agenda of the
respective governments thus making it difficult to
leverage on their natural brand assets to successfully
brand their cities and states as Nigeria’s favourite
destinations for tourism and business.
The unrest and spate of kidnappings in the Niger Delta
region by organisations such as
MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger
Delta People) have also further eroded the brand images
of the affected states. If President Obasanjo’s various
economic reforms begin to pay off, and the a true
atmosphere of competition emerges in the Nigerian
socio-economic terrain, these states may find themselves
being left out in the scramble for enabling investment
climates, as both potential investors and human capital
may choose only those cities and states that have
positively positioned their brands and effectively
communicated their place brand assets.
It is in the interest of the federal government of
Nigeria to actively involve the states and local
governments in this new drive to re-brand Nigeria, state
and local government officials should be encouraged to
set up standing committees or to have designated
positions responsible for liaising with the officials of
Nigeria’s ministry of information and national
orientation (the overseeing ministry of the Heart of
Africa project), this is in order to share ideas and
adopt models of best practice. The recently concluded
2-day National Conference on the Nigeria Brand and
Economic Development tagged
Mind the Gap 2006 presented a good opportunity to
get both the states and local governments involved, but
it remains to be seen if they were even invited.
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Uche Nworah is a
lecturer and brand strategist. / info@uchenworah.com
posted 29 October 2006 |
