Despite the negative occurrences in Nigeria, there are enough good things happening for citizens to cheer rather than harp on the negatives all the time.
Coordinator of the Nigerian Renaissance Project, a non-governmental organisation determined to change negative perception about Nigeria and Nigerians locally and internationally, Ms Ada Apiafi who addressed the press on Wednesday in Abuja catalogued Nigerians who have emerged from within the system and are doing well globally.
Quoting a popular saying “nobody can make you inferior without your consent”, Apiafi lamented that because of the negative way in which many people speak about the country, “a subtle inferiority complex has crept into the consciousness of the average Nigerian especially in the wat that we talk about ourselves”.
She mentioned a recent international survey, which placed Nigeria among the 50 most reputable countries; the imminence of Nigeria’s economy overtaking that of South Africa and becoming one of the top 20 economies before the end of the year; the graduate of the University of Benin who recently emerged the best graduating Master degree student from University of Texas and the YouWin beneficiaries that have become employers in just one year.
Apiafi who said the I-Nigerian initiative is a private project of few concerned Nigerians, some of who are diasporal returnees and youths will seek to drive “what we call The Nigerian Renaissance Project (TNRP) into the consciousness of Nigerians at home and abroad and to the global community, with special emphasis on the positives”.
She described the mission statement of the group “to reawaken the pride of being Nigerian!” as succinct in that it embodies the focus of the initiative, which is to reenergise the mindset of Nigerians, such that
“we all begin to take pride again, in talking positively about our dear country, Nigeria and ourselves as Nigerians.”
She however, admitted during an interaction that the task ahead of her team was daunting but that everything necessary will be done to influence the mind-set of Nigerians positively by mentoring the youths, embarking on youth empowerment programmes and appealing to public officials to also do the right thing.
