Nigeria @ 49: Rebranding The Nation With Rhapsody Of Realities

Henry Ukah,

LoveWorld News Agency,

Saturday,October 3rd,2009.

Rewriting history and shaping the destiny of Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria for ever was uppermost in minds of Christ Embassy members of LCC1 when they took to the busy streets of Ikeja in the Lagos Metropolis.

Numbering over a thousand, and all gaily adorned in Nigeria’s national colors, they chose to celebrate Nigeria’s Independence by distributing free copies of Rhapsody of Realities, the ministry’s flagship devotional. Inspired by their coach and mentor, Rev Chris Oyakhilome, this is intended to stimulate a new spirit of patriotism and pride in Nigeria and contribute to the onerous task of nation-building.

Before now, identifying with anything Nigerian was unfashionable. The nation was frivolously labeled as corrupt, fraudulent and barbaric by the foreign media. Most of these accusations were untrue, and resulted in a backlash on Nigerians residing abroad. Be that as it may, the nation bore the toga of disrepute for several years; pining away in purposeless and underdevelopment.

Spirited attempts made at rebranding the nation in the past such as Former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s “global shuttle� diplomacy and Prof Dora Akunyili’s “Rebranding Nigeria Initiative� was frowned at by critics.

If the statement “You cannot give what you do not have� is true, then it follows that the only way for Nigeria to project a positive image is by building a new generation of Nigerians who are positive about themselves and their nation. The age’s oracle of wisdom, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has often said, Nigerians must first believe in Nigeria.

This is the panacea for true rebranding of the nation. The people must have new belief systems and cultures. This is why the recent RON campaign spearheaded and promoted by Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and Christ Embassy is commendable at all levels.

The ROR devotional, which is the cornerstone of the campaign, is a devotional par excellence with inspiring articles that address the human spirit and excite the mind for excellent works. The articles enrich the spirit, renew the mind and inspire confidence as millions of readers all over the world have attested.

The October edition of the devotional is a special commemorative edition designed for the RON 2009 campaign. According to Pastor Lanre Alabi, head of the Christ Embassy LCC1 congregation, “this edition is a fine blend of well-timed, luxuriant and life-enriching thoughts from God’s Spirit to inspire in the reader a fresh love for Nigeria, an undying patriotic zeal, and an unwavering commitment towards selfless service.’’

And that process has just begun!