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Rebranding The Nation: “Everbody Has A Role“, Says Fashola

Aug 30, 2009 - Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Sunday said for Nigeria to be successfully rebranded, every Nigerian has a role to play by applying the right principles and processes that will make the society a worthy one.

Governor Fashola, who spoke at the Eko FM Open Field Radio House, Ikeja venue of the 5th Justice Muri Okunola Memorial Ramadan Lecture, said rebranding is a collective responsibility in which men, women, young and old must participate to achieve success.

“There is nothing esoteric about rebranding. It is a collective responsibility; a collective resolve to follow due process and change”, the Governor said, adding that the whole thing has to do with attitude change.

Governor Fashola who attributed some of the ills of the society to the long period of Military rule declared, “My generation can only relate with the last ten years of democracy. What I remember is coups, horsewhips and so on. That was how I grew up”, adding that changing that attitude of arbitrariness to enforcement with fairness is a task for everyone.

“It is easy to cast the stones and say the public servant is highhanded, but in what ways have we contributed to it? Are we ready to take our turns when we have something to do with public officials or are we surreptitiously asking them, ‘please I can’t wait, have this?’”, the Governor asked.

Calling on parents to monitor the activities of their children, Governor Fashola said, “People, in the name of politics, incite young men and women to engage in violence. This is where we as parents must take our responsibilities as guardians even more seriously”, adding that parents must engage their children in acts that will mold their character positively.

“Tell your children that whenever they ask them to go and lead violence, they should tell the people to go and bring their own children. Let them ask the people where their own children are”, the Governor advised.

He said the State Government has provided a choice for the children by providing leadership and character-molding clubs like Boys Scout, Boys Brigade, Girls Guide, among other such uniform voluntary organizations to help build the children up.

Exhorting parents to follow up on this choice, the Governor queried, “Are you as parents enforcing and ensuring that your children participate in it? We have started recreational activities to engage their youthful energies, are you ensuring that your children participate?”

“It takes the whole of us to build this nation. Everybody must participate. We have roles to play”, Governor Fashola further urged adding that we must look inward to discover the things that unite us as a nation.

He said Nigerians have interrelated with each other, especially, by way of inter-tribal marriages, that it is not easy to divide the nation. He admonished, “Let us not allow them to divide us. We have co-existed as a people, we have inter-married, Where do you want to start? If you look deep you may, probably, see that your daughter has married in a Muslim family with Christian roots”.

Wishing all Muslims a rewarding Ramadan period, Governor Fashola who noted that Nigerians are closer than they think prayed that all Muslims will benefit “enormously from this great month that Allah has given us”.

Earlier in his lecture titled, “Re-branding The Nation – Islamic Perspectives”, Professor Hameed Sanni of the Lagos State University, Ojo, called on the mass media in the country to help project a positive image of Nigeria to the outside world as their own contribution to the re-branding project.

According to Professor Sanni, “The Mass Media must continuously say what is good about Nigeria if truly we are going to re-brand Nigeria”, adding that scholars must also bring their knowledge into the governance of the country “because if it is impacted, it will definitely move the nation forward”.

Professor Sanni who spoke on poverty, internet scam and unemployment as negative attributes that would hinder the re-branding of the country, said if these problems could be tackled and solved successfully, the project would record a huge success.

Also in her lecture, Hajia Ganiyat Adebanjo said rebranding of the nation must begin from the various households that make up Nigeria, pointing out that if there is a proper coordination within the households, it would have a good impact on the environment, the State and the nation.

She lamented that civilization has impacted negatively on the nation’s image pointing out that it has brought corruption and other social ills that now plague the nation including unfaithfulness to the will of the Almighty Allah.

Enjoining parents to bring up their children in with the fear of God so that they will not be liabilities to their parents, the lecturer urged the Muslim brother and sisters not to look for short cuts to achieving their ambition adding, “They must wait for their turns. Both husband and wife must be prayerful because prayers will help them to move the family and therefore the nation forward”.

Also present at the occasion were Alhaji Ademola Fashola (father of the Governor), Alhaji Lateef Okunnu, the Iyaloja of Nigeria, Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, Alhaji Fashinro, Alhaja Ramdat Fehintola Okunola, (widow of Justice Okunola) Rashed Muri-Okunola, Personal Assistant to the Governor, Hakeem Muri-Okunola of the the Lands Bureau and the entire Okunola Family, among other eminent Muslim dignitaries.