From George Onyejiuwa,Owerri
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, has said what Nigeria needs is not restructuring, but repackaging to attract investors.
Governor Okorocha, who made the call while declaring open the 67th Annual Conference of BON at the Imo Trade and Investment Centre Owerri, said it was unfortunate that managers of electronic media have failed to properly package the country before the international communities, but have only harped on negative programmes that have continued to project the nation in bad light.
He tasked owners of electronic media to use their media in repackaging the country to attract foreign investors as done in other climes.
“Our nation requires repackaging. It is unfortunate that a great nation like ours has not been properly packaged for consumption by the international communities. Yet, there are more evils in other nations than we have in Nigeria, but the reports going out about our country is such that no one will want to come into Nigeria unless for those who want to take risk. No nation can grow with this arrangement. I want to charge you today, as you meet, think Nigeria and see how you can repackage it. We are not the worst of them all,” he said.
Explaining why Nigeria did not need restructure, Owelle Okorocha said:
“Every geo-political zone has its own interpretation of restructuring.
To the South-East, restructuring means creation of an additional state; for the South-South, restructuring means resource control; for the South-West, it means devolution of power and the North may see it differently, but whatever is the case, we are better of, as a united Nigeria.
“The ball is in your court to see how you can project Nigeria and repackage it for public and international consumption. There is nothing wrong with Nigeria and Nigerians. Nigeria is a great nation and will ever remain a great nation. What we have passed through as a nation, no other country would pass through it without experiencing total collapse. The spiritualists will believe that God has relocated his headquarters to Nigeria and that is why we get away with anything that we do.
“I call on all Nigerians that this is a period to dramatise and demonstrate patriotism which is anchored in the spirit of sacrifice.
We must accept the fact that this nation belongs to us and we do not have any other nation on the face of the earth outside Nigeria. So, it’s incumbent on us to fix Nigeria and make it better not only for us, but also for generations yet unborn.
“You have a role to play. The news we hear about our country outside
Nigeria is not a good one and that has, in many ways, discouraged our
investors. This is the time to speak less of the ugly situation we go through; this is the time to speak more about the potentials in Nigeria. People keep destroying this country by what they say.”