AN ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF THE MASS MEDIA IN RE-BRANDING NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF NTA, CHANNEL 12, UYO)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
One of the primary challenges faced by developing countries especially Nigeria stems from the breakdown of bordering between their internal and external aspects. Professionals and scholars have arranged that increasing the actions and statement of Nigerian leaders and citizens simultaneously affect National and International identity and image. This is due to increasing levels of interaction between her citizens, leaders and other external public or societies.
An image can be described as the impression, feeling or opinion, which somebody has, about an individual, place or even an organization. In this case the impression or feeling or opinion, which other countries has about Nigeria. Over the years the image of Nigeria grows worst rather than bad. Nigeria has been branded thieves, 419ers and other all sorts. This has incidence a lot of problems on our international relations. Submit a green passport and be subjected to the most stringent and most thorough check at foreign airports, seaports and other international boarders. What a bastardized image. Nigerians have been denied Visa entry to international engagements. Recently, highly placed Nigerians where denied Visas into France for the Film Festival, to mention but a few.
However, the opinion that all Nigerians are thieves, 419ers, Fraudsters, could be proved wrong, by carefully adopting the procedures of rebranding Nigeria through Public relations. At this juncture, the media among others is a focal point for Public relations and branding building, according to Osunbiyi (2001). “The world is in crisis, Political Crisis, economic crisis, identity crisis; the media and Political societies. Nowadays nobody dare to deny the effects of the media in the behaviour of individuals both in developed and developing countries. In our continent, the Media are said to poses power.â€
One of the most common misconceptions about branding is that it is something one chooses to do as it were a project, one could start and finish. But branding, the process, through which a cohesive enduring, impressive of a business, in this case Nigeria is formed in the minds of our audience (external public). Branding never ends, it is ongoing in every interaction. Hence, the need of this paper presentation is to reveal the powerful role of Public relations in rebranding Nigeria, to rejuvenate Nigeria Bastardized image, among others, encourage investment and partnership that will aggravate developmental growth in both human resource and infrastructure facilities, all to make Nigeria a country to reckon with in the committee of Nations.
The Nigerian government attributes the inability of the country to attract sufficient foreign investments and tourists, in spite of her vast potentials, to the negative image of the country before the international community. The average Nigerian is perceived as a criminal or fraudster anywhere he/she goes around the world while Nigeria and Nigerians are considered unsafe to do business with.
