Nigeria @ 66: Ajiborode, Osineye, Medebem Harp On Values, Trust As Tools For Nation Branding

As Nigeria turned 66 recently Dr Abiodun Ajiborode, the Founder/CEO of Brand Management Academy and BLIM, Funmi Osineye, Category Manager, Culinary (Maggi) at Nestle Nigeria, and Tolulope Medebem, COO/Lead Consultant at Aster Integrated Marketing Limited and the President of Experiential Marketing Association of Nigeria(EXMAN), all leading voices in marketing and business have opined that the country can only build a stronger global reputation by backing its image with clear values, dependable systems and results people can see for themselves.

They argue that slogans and campaigns cannot carry the nation alone. What citizens, investors and visitors experience daily, they say, shapes how Nigeria is seen.

According to Abiodun Ajiborode, the country has yet to build the structures and frameworks needed to drive its national brand. He questioned if Nigeria has a clear value system.

“What are the core values of Nigeria? Today, we can’t really call it out,” Ajiborode said. He noted that every organisation has a mission, a vision and core values.” In the case of Nigeria, he said, the national anthem only states some things.

Ajiborode pointed to Dubai and Rwanda as places that deliberately build their image by partnering with stronger brands and providing infrastructure to back their message. Any national values, he added, must be tied to reward and punishment, and all of that depends on leadership.

“Ultimately, it is the responsibility of both the citizens and the government to jointly build a reputation that precedes the nation,” Ajiborode concluded.

Adding her voice to the conversation, Funmi Osineye of Nestle Nigeria, said the way forward rests on three things: people, systems and story. Osineye called for more deliberate investment in young Nigerians, saying education, skills and jobs must keep pace with their energy and ambition.

“A strong brand is really about the experience people have with you. The same applies to a country,” Osineye said. Institutions, infrastructure, security and public services must deliver more consistently, Osineye added, so confidence grows at home and abroad.

In her words, “Nigeria must also tell its story better, move beyond being known for potential and become known for what we consistently deliver.”

The president of EXMAN, Tolulope Medebem also shares the same view. “A nation, like any brand, cannot consistently communicate what its citizens and visitors do not experience,” Medebem said.

Medebem listed three priorities: building trust through consistent, strong institutions; owning the Nigerian story beyond its challenges; and investing in young people whom she described as the country’s greatest brand ambassadors. “Reputation is not built by campaigns alone; it is built by repeated experiences,” she concluded.