Rebranding still the solution to Most of Nigeria’s Problems – Dora Akunyili

dora_akunyili_info_ministerProfessor Dora Akunyili, former Minister of Information, has insisted that poor perception of Nigeria and its people by both Nigerians and foreigners is one of the greatest challenges facing the country at the moment.

Professor Akunyili was speaking at a colloquium, organised to mark the golden jubilee anniversary of the Chief Executive Officer of CMC Connect, Mr Yomi Badejo Okusanya, in Lagos, on Tuesday. She argued that, but for the negative light the country is always portrayed, it would have recorded profound success in its bid to become an economic power.

Her words: “Sadly, the country is not as bad as these people would want to paint it. For instance, there are countries where some of these vices attributed to Nigeria, are committed more frequently than what obtains here, yet all these are not given the prominence such would have enjoyed in Nigeria… My bag was stolen at Charles De Gaule Airport in France as a minister, in broad daylight and there was no mention of the incident in the papers the following day. Such an incident would have graced the front pages of the newspapers if it had happened here.

‘The way we are being talked about is affecting our economy. No right thinking investor either foreign or local would want to invest in this economy, and that is why we continue to have the rate of unemployment as we presently have. Unfortunately, where there is unemployment, there will always be crime,” she stated.