By Francis Agbo

THE United States of America has the highest crime rate in the world. Its brand name is ‘‘God’s own State or In God We Trust.’’ Ah, US should have branded itself as Home of Crime and Criminality! Yes corruption is one of the obstacles to our development as a nation.

But Nigeria remains the only country in Africa that set up an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to tackle corruption head on. We have certainly not overcome graft.

This shows that no legislation can stop sleaze except change in attitude.

Yes the power and energy crisis and the poor state of Nigerian roads may not be unconnected with graft. Experience has shown that not even capital punishment can stop greed!

The road to Ijigban, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State where I hail from can simply pass for hell on earth. No vehicle passes to my village, especially during the rainy season.

Between January 2008 and September, 2009, millions of naira was officially declared to have been spent to fix the road. In his September 2009 press briefing, Mr. James Aboh Edeh, the Council boss claimed to have fixed the road! Could public funds develop wings if the Council Chairman were to be re-branded?

I have taken time to take readers on this journey to show that rather than being a beneficiary of corruption, I am a victim.

Rather than discourage Nigerians from re-branding, the malfeasance in public service should propel us to change our attitude in both our private and public lives. Reformed government functionaries would see public office as a platform to serve and not to suck the country dry.

Attitudinal change is not peculiar to the leadership alone. Both the leadership and the led must embrace positive traits because a good brand is a fusion of responsible citizenship and purposeful leadership!

After all, it is positive attitudes that trigger the growth of society even in the best of systems. Only positive attitudes can salvage the green passport. This is the only way that Nigerians can take their citizenship to the bank and be respected by the international community. And the harrowing experiences of Nigerians at the airports and sea ports abroad will vanish.

These are the intendments of the re-branding trail of the Minister. So far, she has stayed on the message in all her pronouncements. She had interactive sessions with Nollywood, corporate Nigeria and Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), academics, market women, student union organisations and professionals across board.

Town hall meetings have been held in Bauchi, Owerri, Akure, Akwa-Ibom and Jos and Maiduguri. The next state to catch the re-branding bug is Kano!

Like the mustard seed that germinates and metamorphoses into shady trees, the campaign that started in the Yar’Adua Centre has not only become the buzz word in Nigeria but has spread to all nooks  and crannies of the country. Go to public places, offices and private homes, religious gatherings and you will be amazed that the staple word today is re-branding, re-branding, re-branding.

Students in and outside of the country chose and are still choosing Nigeria’s Re-branding Project as thesis or project topic. Is this not a quick win and a first phase victory? But I dare say we can’t shout hallelujah yet until both the leadership and the led live the brand name of a good people living in a great nation.

Mr.   Agbo, a Media Assistant to the Information Minister.